Guardian Blue (Prequel) - Thanks for the Fox
by sarsis
Summary: When Nick suddenly refuses an assignment from Bogo, he's forced to reveal an extremely painful glimpse of his past to both his boss and his partner. Judy wants more than anything to help him, but Nick adamantly does not want her involved. Stubborn as always, she involves herself anyway and discovers something unbelievable that may light the fox's way through his darkest hour.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

 _This story occurs three months prior to the events in "Who Writes This?!" I had wanted to tell this story originally, but needed to kind of gauge how easy or difficult it was to write these characters, this world, and fanfiction in general. I enjoyed the experience, so I will be writing this after all. Please Enjoy._

 _I do not own, nor do I work for Disney. I ate an ice cream that was supposed to resemble mickey mouse once, but I don't think it gave me any special Disney powers. Byron Howard and Rich Moore apparently got the special radioactive ones._

 **Guardian Blue - Thanks for the Fox**

Chapter 1: Regrets and a Cape Buffalo

"It's coming from over this way." Judy called back, the light pat-pat-patting of her small feet speeding up. The small, grey-furred bunny hooked around a corner and into an alley. She was adorned as usual, while on duty, in her custom made, form-fitting uniform. Nick was in a uniform more resembling that of everyone else in the precinct as he was quite a bit taller than Judy. The fox ran behind his partner and kept close.

The fox panted out, "I hear it now too! It sounds like it's inside or under something though..." He stopped suddenly, nearly crashing into the back of his own suddenly halted best friend. They held still, even held their breath, and waited for the sound again. A small sniffle broke the silence, and then the crying resumed. Judy was sure now that they were following the sound of a crying child. The rabbit's sensitive ears had picked it up from the cruiser as they patrolled in the Meadowlands District. They went further into the alley, following the sound. It certainly _sounded_ like a child, but with the huge variation in sizes and types of mammals that the pair could encounter from minute to minute, one could not always assume that.

Judy called out in a strained whisper, "Nick!" She was trying to be quiet enough not to startle someone, and loud enough for her partner to come over to where she was. She pointed to a dark blue dumpster with a closed lid. The sound inside had gone suddenly quiet, but Judy was sure that it was from there. She nodded to Nick as her backup arrived, and she carefully opened the lid. There was a shuffle inside and Judy shook her head and held up a paw to her badge, which was emblazoned bright and shiny over her heart. Little ears ducked down under crushed boxes.

She called out in little more than a whisper again, "Woah, woah, woah! I'm not gonna hurt you, I'm here to help!" She used an almost motherly tone. Inside the dumpster was a fairly small mammal, as she had suspected, but buried in all the trash it was hard to tell what type exactly. A little head peeked out again, and Judy recognized it finally. A little kangaroo joey was hiding in the garbage.

"What are you doing in there, kiddo?" asked Nick curiously, trying to use his softer, more compassionate tone, something he used when trying to win someone's confidence. Judy mockingly called it Nick's Lovey-Dovey Voice. Oddly, the fox seemed to be better with kids than she was, despite her being smaller and having grown up with younger siblings. This always puzzled her, but it was useful this time.

The kid looked over to the russet vulpine and spoke up between sniffles. "No one else's in the alley, are they?" asked the joey.

Nick responded, "Just us. It was clear outside the alley too. Did someone hurt you?" Hearing her partner ask that, Judy's heart sank. For all the challenges that came with being a cop, dealing with the natural maternal agony that sometimes went along with children in trouble was just about the _worst_ for the bunny. The little guy poked his head out, glanced around, and then let Nick help him out of the trash. Fortunately it seemed to be mostly office garbage like boxes and paper. There were not many of the less pleasant smelling items a restaurant or home might provide. He hopped down from Nick's arms and shook himself off a little, wearing overalls and a striped shirt. He looked like he was probably about ten years old.

"I'm okay now, I don't need the police." the joey said meekly.

"Two boars, a perpetually sleepy rhino and a nutria rat." Nick stated flatly. He caught the joey as he literally jumped for the bin again to land himself right back into the trash.

"Where!?" the boy cried.

"No, I was guessing who chased you into the rubbish." Nick offered. Judy groaned in realization of who it was. Even though they had been on the beat together only three months, they already knew a few of the usual trouble-makers by heart. Judy took out her cell phone.

"I'll call the case worker, and we will get a statement." The bunny sighed. The two boars in particular were a thorn in the side of quite a few folks in the community. They had a case worker from the city assigned to them to help the parents of the troubled youths get things under control. Dealing with underage offenders was a delicate matter.

Nick looked at the younger mammal and smiled, saying softly, "We'll give you a ride home, young fella."

The joey groaned. "Aw man, I don't want my parents in on this, my mom's gonna freak out if she knows I've been fighting again." He flailed a bit, exasperated.

Nick knelt down beside him, his calm, warm smile-of-convincing plastered on his muzzle. "Well, see, the way this works is we can't ask you any questions about what happened without a parent or a guardian present, and we can't help with the problem if you don't make a statement."

The joey looked at the ground and kicked his feet a bit. "Won't they know it was me that ratted 'em out? I gotta go this way to get to my dad's work." He seemed very worried.

Nick shook his head slowly. "Do you really think you're the only person they've hassled recently?" Nick asked. "Even if you think _you_ don't need help, how about the next guy who isn't able to jump 25 feet in a single hop to get away?" The joey looked away, appearing to ponder that. Nick continued, "Son, these are kids that took their new sloth 'buddy' and placed him in the middle of the road just to see if he'd make it. When you stand up for yourself, you stand up for him too." Nick crossed his arms expectantly. The kid cringed and looked up at the taller mammal. There was a bit of a silence before finally the lad looked back down at his large feet.

"Did he?" asked the young kangaroo.

Nick answered softly, "Yeah. He made it."

The joey looked back up, obviously relieved. "Okay, I live on Alfalfa Avenue, first house on the corner there - with the trampoline." He explained. Judy watched the exchange, then made a quick call to the city services department and explained that they would be receiving a report concerning the troubled teen boars. She was impressed with the fox's convincing argument. Nick took the joey's self-shame away from him and then convinced him to help others instead. Judy had learned early in her life to help others, but she found most were not so quick on the uptake concerning more altruistic behaviors. She followed behind her partner, heading back to the cruiser. It was less than a mile to the address the youngster provided, so it would be a short drive.

Nick spoke as they walked together. "Hey, I gotta ask... what kind of hang time to you guys get on a trampoline? I played on one when I was a kit, and those things are amazing!" The fox sounded so genuinely excited that Judy had to stifle her laugh. It was hard, around kits and cubs, to tell her partner's age sometimes. The conversation forced Judy to ponder Nick excitedly bouncing on a trampoline and for some reason that image tickled the heck out of her.

The joey quickly answered, "I get crazy high on it, but mom always tells me to cool it, she thinks I'm gonna go right through the thing on the down-bounce, y'know?" the joey seemed just as excited as Nick was about it. "My name's Cliff. You wanna bounce when we get back? It's pretty big. If we time it just right, I bet we get so high our ears pop!" Nick looked at Judy, his muzzle wide in a silent grinning gasp.

The bunny sighed. "No, Nick," Judy shattered his hopes, as he likely expected. She was his 'out' when it came to doing dangerous, unnecessary things on duty for the entertainment of others. They piled into the cruiser which was also custom-built for their size category. There had not been anyone their specific size in the precinct before. It was made and provided while Nick was in the academy on the assumption that more would follow.

Cliff and Nick talked excitedly about a new Pig Hero 6 movie that was being made during the short duration of their trip. The fox officer seemed naturally inclined to figure out what people _wanted_ to talk about and he would delight them by seeming super interested in it. The bunny knew why, but didn't mind the reason. It was very effective for his _new_ job and she was learning to rely on it. How he used it in his older endeavors didn't really matter anymore.

The clustered busy buildings along First Street in the meadowlands quickly gave way to the rolling grassy plains that this section of Zootopia was named for, and they came to the sparsely populated area where the kangaroo lived. They pulled up to his house and Nick helped Cliff out of the car. They walked together up to the door. Judy radioed in their location and made some updates to their car's computer report log as Nick accompanied Cliff to the front door. A female mammal's shouting from the porch snapped Judy's attention away from the report in a heartbeat.

"Cliff! Get in this house _now_! What are you doing?! Get inside! Did he put his claws in you?! You better not have hurt him, I'm a taxpayer, you walking roach motel! Off off off!" Judy watched in paralyzed horror as the older lady kangaroo picked up a broom and began pushing Nick off of the porch. "If I find out you _bit_ him, I swear to the heavens above, I'll-" The younger kangaroo said something, but Judy could not make it out over his mother's desperate yelling. The bunny recovered from being stunned by that display and bolted from the car as Nick calmly stepped down from the porch. He shrugged at his partner, walking back to the cruiser without a word in his own defense. The bunny hurried past him but tried to read his expression. The only thing she got from him was relaxed resignation. He knew he wasn't going to get anywhere with that mammal.

Nick said softly, "This one's all yours." Judy felt physically sick by what she had just seen, but made a note to just talk to Nick about it later as the fox climbed into the passenger seat of the patrol car. Judy strode purposefully over to the porch, the lady kangaroo scowling with her broom as she regarded the bunny police officer.

"Having a little trouble getting applicants at the academy these days are they?" she asked of Judy. The bunny desperately wanted to find out which of them could kick harder in a cage match after how she saw her partner treated, but she inhaled deeply and dropped it for the moment. It would not help them perform their duties to take this personally.

Judy paused a moment to clear her head, and then spoke. "Ma'am, we found your son Cliff being chased by some boys on First Street. We have had some dealings with those particular ones in the past. The city of Zootopia does not allow us to interview a child witness without their guardian present. I wanted to know if you would allow me to speak with Cliff about what happened today so that we can try to make sure other kids don't have to worry about these guys again."

Cliff's mother softened a bit and seemed to dismiss Nick outright, since he was just waiting in the car. She had the joey come down from wherever he ran during the near-altercation between Nick and his mom. He relayed the story to Judy about how he was collecting interesting rocks along the railroad tracks when the boys approached him. They told him they were going to play a game where he would try to take a puzzle box from a shop nearby. If he managed to get it, he'd be in the club.

He said no, and they told him the other game they would play was if he didn't cry when they took turns kicking him, he'd still get to be in the club. Not a fan of pain, he ran and hid. That was when he met Judy and Nick. Judy's hardened mood was softened a little when he seemed to make it a point to his mom to explain that Nick never once acted threatening or mean. He made it clear that there had been absolutely nothing negative about the fox. She didn't really comment on it, but Judy felt immensely better knowing that at least Cliff didn't hate her partner by proxy of his parent. The prejudice did not, at least here, extend to the younger generation. Cliff would not have it.

After taking his statement, Judy headed out to join Nick. As she did, she was met by Cliff outside. He'd slipped out the side door when his mother wasn't looking, perhaps. He had a card in his little claws. It was a collectible card of one of the female characters from Pig Hero 6. It was autographed by one of the voice actors.

Judy took the card, a little confused. She said dismissingly, "You don't have to do this, we do this every single day... it's what the ZPD is here for. We're not really allowed to-" Judy started.

"It's for Nick." Cliff said, cutting her off. He frowned, looking away. "Mom doesn't like foxes. Anything with sharp teeth, really. I don't know why. She was wrong to be mean to him though. I want him to know I don't feel like that. I love her, but she's wrong this time. I know she is. Nick's one of the good guys. I'm gonna be a fireman when I grow up, and I know you guys'll have my back." He fist-bumped Judy. "Nick's cool. Tell him I said so." He chimed, and bolted before Judy could give him back his card. The bunny sighed. Officers were not allowed to accept any kind of gifts, but she was not about to try to go through that kid's mother to give it back. She plodded back to the cruiser and hopped in, looking over to her partner in the passenger seat. He was looking away from her, out the window. She could tell he had his sunglasses on as well due to his reflection in the window. That was likely to ensure she could not possibly read his expression. That was not a great sign.

Judy growled a little. "That... I just..." She gritted her teeth. She didn't even know where to start with that.

Nick spoke up casually. "Let's head back to the precinct for lunch. I have that fruit salad you made for us that I forgot to take home yesterday. I've been thinking about it all morning." He turned and smiled to Judy. It was that calm, collected, convincingly fake smile that Judy first experienced from him in Jumbeaux's Ice Cream Parlor so long ago.

"Nick, that wasn't okay. We don't have to pretend it was fine." Judy stated bluntly.

"It happened to _me_ , Carrots. Not you. If I say we can go get fruit salad and forget about it, that's how we handle it." Nick sighed a bit. The tension was not completely hidden in Nick's voice. It was rare that Judy could actually hear it. He _hated_ that. Judy started the car and began to drive.

After some silence she finally huffed, "You were the one getting yelled at Nick, but it still made me ill seeing that. How could anyone-" she began, but stopped as Nick took his sunglasses off, frowning.

Eyes half closed, he cut into her tirade. "A day in the life of a fox, Carrots. That's not new. At least I wasn't wearing bodily fluids at the end of it." Nick sighed softly, "Look, I'm sorry you had to see that, but as my partner you are gonna hear some terrible things said to me. You are going to see the worst the world has to throw at me, especially because we are cops. But, you are going to see me take it like a professional, because that is what we both are." He let silence overtake the conversation a moment before finally speaking again. "Being... shooed away from a kid was a new one, I will admit. It doesn't feel great, Fluff, I won't lie. But, if I defend myself and blow up at his mom... then what? Right now, he knows what I am. She can't take that away. However, if he sees me angry and pointy and mean to someone he cares about, then I'm exactly what his mother wants him to be afraid of, and she didn't have to do a thing." Judy coasted to a stop at a stop light and looked back to Nick, who was looking out at the road.

She said softly, "I'm not saying we have to _do_ anything about it Nick, I know the long game here. I know how we are _supposed_ to handle it, but it doesn't mean I don't hurt right along with you when it happens. Just..." She frowned, closing her eyes. "I just don't want you thinking I don't _care_ about it. I _do_. I don't like seeing that. And if _you_ didn't need to talk about it, maybe I did." She sucked in a deep breath, wondering if she really was the only one who felt like there was real injustice in what she'd seen. Left with no recourse to correct it, she felt so powerless. How could Nick not feel even worse? She reached down and took the card Cliff had given to her and passed it to Nick. The fox took it and tilted his head curiously in a fashion that secretly delighted Judy every time she saw it. She liked Nick's 'what's this?' expression and was never really sure why.

On cue, he asked, "What's this?" His eyes then widened. "Is that signed?! Where did you-" he blinked. "Cliff." His head jerked up and he shook it at his partner. "Carrots, we can't take this from him, we have to..."

"Go back?" Judy laughed, "Sure, I will let you get through his mom to give that back to him." Judy grumbled. "I tried to refuse it Nick, but it was something he had to do. Keep it for now, I get the feeling we will see that kid around again." Judy stated calmly. "You can give it back to him when he's a little further from the pouch." Nick sighed at that and carefully placed the card inside the vinyl wallet in his back pocket and leaned back as they moved onto the highway that would bring them back to city central.

After some time, Judy finally spoke again. "I'm sorry if I seem a little overprotective, Nick. You already kinda seem like you're in a funk today, and I was hoping to see you in better spirits. I know you won't tell me what's eating you, but I'm still gonna try to make you laugh and tease me and be yourself. You know that, right?" she asked. Nick widened his eyes at his partner, and then gave a little more genuine grin.

"I'm not in a funk, Carrots." He stated, "I am having a pretty good day, you've been there for all of it. I just thought you wanted me to ease up on the silliness a bit. Isn't that what you said?" he flattened his ears at her.

Judy remembered the conversation from a few days ago. It had been her intention to get him to stop teasing _Bogo_ , not stop teasing altogether. She sighed. "I know, and you're fine, really Nick, just... I don't know. You've seemed off since yesterday. Maybe we can go hassle Finnick in Sahara Square, that always makes you laugh."

Nick smiled genuinely at his partner again. "I'm fine, Judy. It's just the time of year is all it is. I'll get over it. I don't need counseling. It doesn't interfere, and it's perfectly normal." Judy widened her eyes at that. While he was playing it off cool, she was actually surprised that he was not merely dismissing it outright. He had used her actual name too. Something really _was_ bothering him, and he was just working through it. She pulled off the access road and turned toward the station. She would give him space with whatever it was, as he might not have intended to make it clear there really _was_ a problem. She did not want to smother him.

As the pair entered the station, Nick was acting a little less quiet and a little closer to what she expected of him with the short time that they had been working together. The first few days of his time with the ZPD had been busy, stressful, and a little overwhelming for Nick. After that, he began to joke around with his fellow officers and found an immediate sense of belonging that he was quick to tell Judy all about. Things felt a little closer to that kind of normal as they headed for the break area. As they passed the front desk however, Clawhauser flagged them down and told the pair that the chief wanted to see them in his office about an assignment. Nick sighed and nodded to the overly large feline. They reported to the second floor and down the hall to the very end. No fruit salad for the sad fox.

Bogo, as they arrived, was trying to smooth over some sort of issue with a public official. It was not clear what the issue was exactly, but he was using his lighter, quieter voice that he never used unless he was trying to save face for the department or make his life easier in some way with a higher-up. When he finally hung up the phone, he looked less happy, no longer needing to fake it.

Nick stated with a blank expression, "I didn't bite that kid I swear." Judy flinched.

"What?" Bogo asked.

Judy cut in, "Nick's being a goof. You needed to see us?" she asked. Bogo snorted at Nick who just grinned smugly.

The buffalo then looked back to the rabbit and then smiled. "Yes. I have a very light, easy, harmless assignment that there is absolutely no way you two can royally mess up." The chief smiled broadly. Nick flattened his ears at that.

Nick put his paws behind his back casually. "Let me guess. Does it have something to do with generating city revenue from carelessly parked motorists?" Judy cringed at the thought. Had they gotten in trouble? Was that why they were getting parking duty?

The chief snorted. "Suddenly tempting, but no." He spoke bluntly, "I need for you both to go on stage and give out some awards for the Mother's Day Special Recognition event. The acting mayor is still serious about the Mammal Inclusion Initiative and thinks this would be an ideal event to put on display the changing face of our city's service members." Judy widened her eyes at that and immediately looked uncomfortable.

"That's this weekend, Chief. Do we need to do a speech?" the bunny asked.

The chief responded quickly, "Don't have a coronary, Hopps, it's a non-speaking role. You two will just be passing out the awards and giving heart-felt congratulations and smiles to some of the mothers who are being publicly recognized." Bogo grinned a bit at the flustered bunny. She did not like being in the spotlight after the arrest of former mayor Lionheart. He knew that.

Judy sighed and smiled. "Oh. Well, that does sound easy enough, I would be honored." She nodded at that and looked at her partner. His expression was utterly flat. It was as if the chair beside her were practically vacant.

There was a bit of a silence before Bogo finally spoke. "I... can count on your assistance as well then, Wilde?" the chief asked, his tone making it clear he was puzzled by Wilde's odd expression as well.

"No." Nick said bluntly. The bunny clutched her chest, almost physically choking on Nick's response.

Bogo narrowed his eyes. "I beg your pardon, Wilde?" the chief glowered, standing up and leaning over Nick in a manner that eclipsed the light in his office.

Nick's green eyes finally moved from the blank nothing that he seemed to have been staring at and focused on the chief. He answered stiffly, "I said no, I will pass. Count me out. No can do. I decline. Gone fishin'." He counted the responses out on his claws. Nick clarifying it did not slow Judy's heart down. Bogo remained standing.

The chief growled, "Hopps, I will give you an opportunity to explain to your partner why there is not a chapter in the officer handbook titled 'How to refuse an assignment without a damned good _reason_ '." Judy's heart went into her throat. She was not Nick's superior, why was he making her do that?

Nick spared Judy a response by speaking again. "I have a 'damned good reason', but I do not wish to share that right here." The fox's tone was cold, his expression again fixed on that eerie neutral space somewhere between him and the back wall of the office. It was an expression that Judy wasn't sure she'd ever seen on him before. Nor on anyone else she knew.

"Nick, what are you doing?!" Judy hissed, long black-tipped ear practically glued to her back.

He snapped his gaze back up to the buffalo. "May I speak with you about this alone?" Nick asked.

Bogo slammed his hands flat on the desk loudly, making Judy jump, "Wilde! The next words out of your mouth had better be that 'damned good reason', or Hopps will be on parking duty during the two weeks that you are suspended. Out with it. Now." Nick looked fearful suddenly, another expression she had not seen him use around Bogo... ever. He looked at her, pained, and then back to the chief. She stood up on her oversized chair.

"Chief I... I'm okay waiting in the hall... if it's private-" She could tell Nick did not want her to be there for this, and while she did not understand why, she didn't want to force it.

The chief cut her off however. "Hopps, sit down. Wilde, words." Judy felt sick to her stomach.

Nick crossed his arms, looking at the floor a moment before speaking. "Alright, you really want this, so here we go." The way he said it made her feel like she and the chief should be putting on helmets. The Cape buffalo glowered darkly as Nick spoke. The fox's voice seemed strained as he said, "You both know I was not always the model citizen I am today. I made mistakes, and I made bad choices." The bunny perked her ears high. The chief was aware of Nick's former life as a con artist, but Judy wasn't sure how much Bogo actually _did_ know. Did this sudden inexplicable behavior have something to do with Nick's less ethical past?

"I am very well aware, Wilde, get on with it." Bogo growled, sitting back down.

Nick continued. "Well, in the beginning, there was a very angry fox kit." Bogo snorted loudly, as if feeling this was immediately a waste of his time, but Nick kept right on talking. "...and that fox kit thought his mother was blind and dumb for thinking that he was ever going to make anything of himself. She did her best. She taught him right from wrong. She let him know hard work and helping others was the true path. But, ohhhh, this kit _knew_ better." Judy widened her eyes. Nick had never, ever, since the gondola ride so many months ago mentioned his mother. She suddenly wanted very much to make it so Nick didn't have to keep telling Bogo this.

The buffalo snorted again. "Well, up until about five minutes ago, I would say she could be quite proud. However, more recent events lead me to feel like maybe she should take a slipper to you." Their boss crossed his arms.

Nick visibly flinched, which worried Judy deeply. Her partner spoke again. "Well, we will revisit that in a bit, Sir. So, see, the older that little angry kit got, the more the world showed him who he thought he ought to be. It was who the world expected him to be and who he was going to have to be. He thought he had a perfectly clear picture of what was real, and that what Mom told him was a fairy tale meant to make him feel better about himself. It was useless in every way that mattered for making it in the real world. He was so sure of it!" Nick began raising his voice. Bogo actually looked a little concerned. It was not nearly as concerned as his partner was feeling.

Judy spoke a little meekly, trying to calm him. "Nick..." However, she could think of nothing more to say to help, and just felt silly for interrupting him. It did not seem to faze the fox, however. He continued to speak with his elevated voice, gesturing more, increasingly agitated.

"Well, one day, the little fox kit thought he was a _big_ fox, and he made a lot of extra spending money doing 'big fox things' for people who said it would be okay even though he knew it probably wasn't." Judy was secretly glad Nick did not elaborate on what those things were. She really didn't think it would help to know. "...only, his mommy was _not_ happy about it. She told him that he was better than that, and that he could still be better if he really tried. The kit was so... so... angry!" Nick actually bared his teeth at the chief, who watched wordlessly, his expression one of seriousness. Nick paced as he spoke. "Well, mommy knew what the kit didn't know. She knew he really _could_ be better, but he wouldn't hear it. No, no! He was big, he was right. He saw the _world_. He knew what was real and what wasn't, and his mom was _wrong_! So from that moment on, he felt he had to sever himself from mommy's make-believe world so he could have whatever there was _left_ for a fox to have." He gestured at nothing in particular. He looked at the floor and said, his tone sinking, "So... the angry, selfish kit... left."

After a short bit of silence, the chief softly spoke. "You never went back?" he asked, his tone dark as usual, but seemingly more sympathetic, certainly not angry like he had been.

Nick sighed helplessly. "Oh, I did. A few times actually, only to pull the same _crap_ when it became clear I wasn't living up to my mother's expectations. I was still skirting the edge of what was legal and well south of ethical." He said with a thumbs-down. He resumed with another heavy sigh, "The last time was four years ago, and boy did we have a row. I was in my late 20's and there I was without so much as a single legitimate and honest work reference, no mate. My ass was in hot water with less-than-friendly mammals, and my only friends either I owed money to, or they owed it to me. She made it clear how hurt she was seeing me like that, and I let her _have_ it... about the rightful place of foxes, oh did I _educate_ her. Then she dropped the 'big bomb' on me. My _father_ would be ashamed of me. My dad. I barely even remembered him! I can't even tell you where he's _buried_." Judy cringed at that. "...and that guy gives two strands of his dead tail for _me_? I just turned and walked out. I never called, I never wrote, I never went to see her again." Nick finished explaining.

Judy's heart raced. She _had_ to tell him something. She spoke up, reaching for the fox. "You can still go back Nick," she said with a tight throat, tears at the corners of her eyes. She hated seeing him like this, but she was certain that _this_ was the thing he'd been so moody about. It had to be. Judy tried to encourage her partner, since Bogo sure wasn't going to do it. The bunny kept talking. "She would be so happy to know... To see everything you've done!" The chief predictably added nothing. He seemed to be waiting for something else. Nick provided it.

"About two weeks before I went to the academy I went to her apartment. I was ready to apologize. I was ready to... let her know that I was wrong, and _she_ was right, and I was ready to bear my soul to her to let her in, and share in what was to come no matter how rightfully mad she might have been." As Nick spoke, Judy knew that the ending was not going to be good, or they would not be having this tense conversation. Nick would not have refused Bogo's assignment. Something happened. She steeled her nerves, willing herself to be supportive for her partner. His mother had every right to be angry after being shut out for four years. Surely she would forgive him one day. Maybe Judy could even help. She would happily mediate, even if she wasn't sure how.

"Go on." Bogo finally said, interrupting the introspective silence.

Nick finally continued after pacing a moment, obviously deeply anxious. "No one answered the door. I knocked a few more times. I came back the next day. I knocked louder, maybe her hearing was going. Finally, her next door neighbor came out. I told her I was there to see Vivienne Wilde." Nick looked at the floor, his arms hanging like Spanish moss. "She told me that Vivienne... had passed away about three weeks earlier." Nick's voice audibly cracked at the end. Judy gasped, cupping her entire face. No, she was absolutely not steeled up enough for that! She felt suddenly cold, numb, and sick.

Bogo stammered in disbelief, "N-No... Wilde I..." He sat down in his chair with a dull thump. Judy could not keep herself from shaking. It was very quiet for a few moments.

Nick looked away from everyone and finally spoke. "So you will please have to excuse me... if I do not feel especially willing and able to stand in front of a crowd... and give out awards to other mammals' mothers after what I did to mine." The fox spoke in a near monotone. He then turned fully and walked out of Bogo's office, softly closing the door behind him. Judy looked in utter terror at her boss. Bogo looked like he felt ill too. A full and awkward minute passed in silence before Bogo brought his hand to his face, wiping all the way down.

"Hopps... I am so... _so_ sorry for putting you both through that." Judy looked at her feet. She was speechless. What could even be said about that? The chief continued. "Find your partner. I want you both to take the rest of the day off. I messed that up in the _biggest_ possible way. Tell Wilde he can take the day off Sunday as well. You can too, if you think you can help him out. I am really, _really_ genuinely sorry for that. I will apologize to Nick directly when I have had time to... think of what to even say. Please give him my sympathy when you see him." Judy nodded, only more choked up by Bogo's rare offering of any kind of feelings.

She left the office and headed right for the restroom to get herself back under some semblance of emotional control. Nick might not have wanted Judy to see that, or for her to even be aware of what he was going through, but there was no way in any level of Hell she was going to let him be alone after _that_.

After she freshened up a bit and mashed her heart back down out of her throat, and her paws stopped feeling like refrigerated pasta, Judy set out in search of her partner. She hoped that he had not just left the precinct altogether. His expression and tone were so hard to read. She had no idea how upset he actually was. She was surprised, however, to find him sitting in the break area, munching on his fruit salad. Judy held still a moment, watching him. He messed with his phone a bit, maybe looking at whatever was trending on Chitter, checking the news or weather. His ears were back, eyes half-lidded and calm and normal. She would hardly believe he'd just finished talking about such a terrible thing only ten minutes before. She approached her partner, sucking in a deep breath.

Nick spoke first. "I'm really sorry you were there for that, Fluff. I tried to get the chief to let you leave. But no, I do not need help. I just need not to do the thing Bogo wanted me to do. I can't. I think you understand." He was speaking calmly. He seemed to have had a chance to calm down while she was calming herself in the restroom. Judy closed her eyes, bouncing back and forth in her mind between offering Nick a warm and sincere hug, or just punching him out.

She finally spoke. "Nick... right before the academy? So when you said you were laid up with the flu for two weeks before you went, it was..." Judy felt a pang of guilt. Alone. He was _alone_ for that. He didn't talk to her for days. Maybe he didn't talk to anyone. She would have _been_ there for him. She would have gladly helped him through that. She knew he was ashamed of what happened, but he didn't have to be alone for something that terrible.

Nick predictably deflected. "On a positive note, that... unfortunate event is part of why I tried so hard in the academy, Carrots." The fox smiled at her, obviously more for her than just being a genuine smile. "I felt more strongly than I ever had in my life that it was time to prove myself and get it right. Such an ugly thing as that... didn't have to be completely pointless and empty." Nick said. "So I got nearly tip top marks and even beat my... little _issue_ with the course on muzzling." He shuddered. Judy perked her ears up at that. She was unaware he had issues with that exercise but suddenly understood _why_ he might have. Curiosity blazed inside her but she then realized that it was a bait and switch. He wanted to talk about _that_ instead. No, she wasn't taking the bait.

Judy said in a careful tone, "Bogo gave us both the rest of the day off as a way of apologizing, as well as Sunday. I think we should take it." Nick had been living with this for over a year. Judy wanted him to know she was there for him now. The fox stood up, packing his now empty container, then placed it back in his Pawaiian print lunch bag.

"I never say no to an early day when offered, and if it makes Buffalo Butt feel like less of a heel for dragging us through that, I'll take it. I wouldn't want him all gloomy during rollcall for night shift," he laughed. Judy smiled at her partner's ability to bounce back. She was not entirely convinced, however. She was not about to just drop it. She wanted to make sure Nick understood how serious she was about her understanding and support. As they walked out through the main lobby, Judy stopped in front of her partner.

She spoke confidently, "Hey, hold up... Before we go." Nick looked at the smaller bunny with wide, curious eyes. She looked into them, trying to see if she could tell anything more, but he really was making himself hard to read. She wondered briefly why she had been completely unable to look at him when his voice cracked in Bogo's office. She felt guilty about that and it made her resolute about what she was about to offer.

"What's up, Fluff?" Nick asked.

"I... I would like to go with you to... to see her. Mother's day, I mean." Judy stated. There was so little she could really do, but she would do that. She would be there for Nick. His expression fell. He closed his eyes.

Her partner spoke slowly and carefully. "Thank you, Judy..." Her real name rang in the rabbit's ears again, "... But I really don't think I can take you there. I mean... I don't even know where _there_ is..." he stated with more than a hint of shame in his voice. Judy silently gasped.

"It's been a year, Nick. I think visiting her would help you," she insisted.

Nick actually bared his teeth a little. "Help who?" he asked. "I didn't give her ten minutes of my time the last four years she was alive. I can't imagine how insulting it would be to rub my newfound success and humility all over her memorial." She recoiled a bit, his tone sounding genuinely irritated. He closed his eyes, obviously trying to calm down, putting his paws on his ears, pulling them back. He finally spoke again, sounding like he was just tired. "I get what you're trying to do, Carrots. You feel like I deserve closure, and that this will let me get over how bad you think this messed me up... but maybe, just maybe I deserve to be messed up! I deserve to feel this weight just a little longer. Maybe four years longer."

Judy cut in, "Nick, I don't understand-"

He returned the favor of interruption, "I don't expect you to understand this, Judy. Hell I don't _want_ you to understand this! I would _never_ want you to know what this felt like! I just need to deal with this. This is _my_ mess, my fault, no one else's. I could have gone to her the day I applied to the academy. I could have gone the day I was accepted! No... I waited. Pride... uncertainty, and fear... and don't feel ready for... closure." He sighed heavily, then added, "Sunday, I will be home. Bogo offered. I'll take it. It will be quiet. I will feel rotten. And I need to. I don't want you or anyone else taking that away from me. Let me have that. You, Bogo, the city of Zootopia, they get everything else. This is mine." He put his paw over his heart. "I will see you tomorrow Fluff." The fox strode past her with singular determination, and Judy did not dare to follow. Her ears back she stood there, thinking.

She could not, at that moment, feel completely sorry for Nick. He was wrong to do this to himself, but he was even more wrong to deny his mother the peace of knowing he was finally going to be okay. To Judy's sense of family and responsibility it was completely unconscionable. She crossed her arms. Vivienne Wilde deserved closure at least, if Nick really felt that she was the victim in all of this. The bunny frowned. She would help him to fix that part of it then, even alone if she had to.

Judy would find out where Nick's mother was laid to rest, and she would go there herself and tell her that her son was alright. This was not for Nick, not for Judy, but for Vivienne. Well, maybe a little for Judy, since it was her belief that this was the right thing to do... but mostly for Nick's mom. She knew Nick would say it was none of the nosy bunny's business, but this was very much Judy's business. It was the bunny's own unsettled debt. Vivienne gave Judy the thing she needed most in the whole world, and it was time someone told that vixen, in this world or the next, 'Thanks for the fox.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note:**

 _The last chapter was a bit sad, I confess. That will not be the tone for this whole arc, I promise! I will also clarify that this is the same story as 'Who Writes This?!'for those perhaps curious, it's just set about 3 months earlier. I will try to keep up a good pace for updating, and intend to have at least a single story in reserve to deal with a rainy day scenario!_

 _Disney and I are not exactly besties, I just root around in the trash for little trophies to surround with candles and stuff. As such, Zootopia and specific characters mentioned below are property of Disney, and written out of love and admiration, not for personal profit or acclaim. Please fic responsibly._

 **Thanks for the Fox**

Chapter 2: Debts of Gratitude and a Bunny Best Friend

Much to Judy's relief, Nick's mood had improved dramatically by the following day. She knew a lot of the perceived recovery was more likely his usual emotional mask he wore to keep other mammals from getting too close, but he at least seemed to be managing _that_ better. The bunny did not bring up his mother at all that day. She opted to give him the space he'd asked for until he gave at least some indication he might want to open up more about that. There were moments, on rare, quiet occasions that the fox would invite his partner into more candid conversations. She would wait for one of those situations.

The day was pretty typical for a Friday, opening with the usual pre-shift banter in the bullpen. Nick even hassled Wolfard who had taken a liking to hassling the fox right back. Chief Bogo appeared to have trouble meeting Nick's gaze, and for a change did nothing to tamp down the vulpine officer's antics. Judy wondered if it was more that she was only noticing because she was really paying attention, or if Bogo always avoided looking at Nick. The fox often preferred to wait until full attention was on him before throwing stinging barbs and jokes the chief's way. Still, the assignments were given, and general patrol of Sahara Square was on the menu for the smaller duo.

Originally, Judy hated being assigned Sahara Square because she did not enjoy the intense heat of the noon day sun there. She ultimately softened her opinion of it because the trade-off was that it was usually pretty quiet during the day so she could give each case and encounter the full attention and follow up she liked to provide. That day was no exception with only four calls coming in before noon that were actually directed at them. On a busy day, Judy and Nick could generally expect _anything_ to be tossed their way. However, when it was quiet, dispatch usually attempted to send officers to deal with issues they would be best suited to. It was not so much about ability as it was efficiency. The ZPD provided a service and they were expected to impress.

As such, they were not likely to send Judy and Nick to do something that required extremely heavy lifting, like clearing an accident or moving large debris that fell off a truck onto the highway. At the same time, Rhinowitz or Higgins were not likely to be sent to search for a child stuck in a sewer.

Because of this, the workload was light and the day still went by quickly enough. This suited Judy just fine. She had plans that afternoon which did not include her partner. She did consider at some point in the day telling him her intentions, but thought better of it. To him it would be intrusive and very much not her place. It was still important to Judy, though. She had to do this. Family sentiment was a big deal to most bunnies and her feelings on it were likely very different from Nick's. She just wouldn't tell him. It was that simple. Actually finding Vivienne Wilde was going to be a bit more of a challenge. She knew Nick was unaware of where she had been put to rest, but as officers they both had access to public records to try to find out.

With her work day out of the way, she watched her partner walk out the front entrance to head back to his apartment. He had not offered to hang out or anything, but they were not exactly joined at the hip, they still enjoyed their free time to decompress away from work. If they hung out, often enough the conversation ended up circling back to one or more cases they had been working. No, it was not unusual to see Nick head home after work with a friendly or curt goodbye. Judy knew he was likely distracting himself with movies and TV, or even just reading fiction which he loved to do.

She hated that he wanted to be alone during this, but she didn't blame him given the circumstances. Nick did not like to share his feelings, and he especially hated sharing misery. Judy waited for a while as he walked into the park which acted as a short cut to the transit line that would take him back to his apartment. He didn't bother with his own car. Traffic downtown made that pointless some days. Judy then turned quickly and padded up to the front desk of the lobby.

"Clawhauser!" she called warmly. The rotund cheetah nearly dropped his diet soda. He wasn't allowed to drink it at the front desk and getting caught again would mean a day in the loathsome records department. He looked and saw no one there. Judy bounced a bit to bring her ears up past the lip of the desk to get his attention. Benjamin leaned over the wide, stately desk and grinned down at his smallest coworker.

"Well heeeey yoooou!" His tone was always so bright and cheery, making him immediately one of the rabbit's favorite coworkers to talk to. His positive attitude meshed well with her own, and his genuine excitement in conversation made him fun to talk to. However, she had even more reason to talk to him now.

"Hey Ben!" Judy piped gaily. "I wanted to ask you if you might know how to do something very specific, but I don't want a word of it spread around. Are you the guy I can trust with something like that? It's a personal thing, you understand." Judy looked around suspiciously and then whispered, "I would not want to be a guy who suffered the kind of fate to be endured over the kind of breach of trust that would be caused if one were to discuss this matter outside of this time and place…" She had picked up from Nick the effectiveness winding a long trail to apply weight to a statement had, and it was very often effective in making a point.

Clawhauser gasped, immediately cupping his mouth. "Oh Judy, I would never betray even a passing acquaintance, much less a super important friend like you!" he put a claw over his chest, crossing it with an X.

Judy replied sunnily, "Good! I need help with records." The cheetah groaned, looking like he was going down in a plane on fire. Judy waved her little paws out in front of her. "No, no… Not making you work records, but I know you are experienced in that area; I want to know how to look up something specific. And the nature of what I am looking up is kind of what I need you to be mum about. Can I count on you?" she asked. The cheetah hesitated, perhaps feeling it might end up being a considerable amount of work. Judy added, "It's a really important personal favor. Remember how I got you and Bogo the back stage passes to see Gazelle and get an autograph at the Service Appreciation Concert a couple months ago? I'm cashing in!" Clawhauser stood at attention, which was almost comical since he was so very round

"I will do what I can," Clawhauser promised. "What do you need?" He leaned in a little closer, using a quieter voice to make it clear he was trying genuinely to be as clandestine as a single cheetah the size of three could be.

"I need you to find out where someone was buried in Zootopia." The bunny spoke even softer. Ben reared up at that, cupping his muzzle. He murmured,

Clawhauser replied curiously, "Why… do you need something like that?" He narrowed his eyes. "You've been watching Lupinatural with Nick again, haven't you? Don't let that junk go to your head." He looked concerned.

Judy blinked up at him, confused a moment, then shaking her head. "What? No, Clawhauser, no, it's nothing like that. Trust me, my grasp of reality is fine, it would take more than a scary movie or story to make me lose my cool." The bunny laughed. She shook her head again.

The big cheetah shrugged and looked back down to Judy. "Okay, so what gives?" he asked.

Judy flatted her ears down her back, not wanting to share more than she had to. "I told you, it's a personal matter and I don't need it to be anyone else's business."

Clawhauser looked a little confused still. He murmured, "Okay, yeah, but why waste your grand favor cashing it in on something like this? Nick knows like… half the mammals in the city. He could make a phone call and find out what some guy had for breakfast last November. I've seen him in action." The cheetah narrowed his eyes again. "Unless Nick's the one you don't want involved." Judy widened her eyes. She sometimes forgot that while he was silly, playful, and warm, Clawhauser was still a cop and he deserved his badge even if an incident left him stuck with perpetual desk duty.

Judy grinned at the cheetah, not wanting to back down so quickly. She needed this information. "Brilliant deduction officer!" she congratulated, and then beckoned him closer. He leaned in close. "So… if you would like to talk to Nick about what I am asking about, I will be requesting _you_ for my sparring partner during PT week." The portly feline gasped and covered his muzzle, rearing up full height again.

"No, not that! You have my word, bunny!" He then waved the tension down, leaning in again. "So… Who am I looking for?" Judy sucked in a deep breath. She was taking a risk trusting the known gossip for help, but she didn't know a better mammal to go to who would be willing to help without much question.

Judy answered in a whisper, "A vixen named Vivienne Wilde."

Clawhauser's face fell. "Someone related to Officer Wilde…" he offered.

Judy nodded slowly. "His mother," she stated softly.

The cheetah cupped his muzzle again. "Oh no, I had no idea. He's so young though, you wouldn't really think…"

Judy looked behind her, half expecting an angry fox to be standing behind her and then leaned in again. "It was recent. I want to… I want to pay my respects and tell her Nick's doing alright. I know it might sound strange to you, but it's really important to me and with it being a tender spot for Nick still, I don't want to bother him with it. I need to do this for me and for his mom." She looked intently at the cheetah, hoping that made at least enough sense to him to ensure his assistance.

Clawhauser sat down in his chair, holding up a paw. "I understand completely. Nick's got lots of good friends here and it would put her spirit and memory at ease I bet, to see that his friends all care for him. So let's see what we can find, right?" He opened a reference tool on his computer, and Judy leaned up against the desk.

"Wait, you can do this even outside the Records department?" she asked.

Clawhauser nodded and said, "Public records stuff, sure. The chief thought it would be valuable since I was so well cross trained during my little… ride in the basement…" he rolled his eyes at that fiasco once again, "… and so long as it's not security-locked files or protected information, I can access it from my desk. When Bogo needs answers he can get it faster if he's got more than one set of eyes. Here we are, last known address is… up till a year ago in the Lions Gate Apartments in South Savannah Central. So we know that's when the … arrangements would have been made. I see… Huh…" Judy looked curiously at Clawhauser as he appeared to bounce around between several application windows. With her vantage point she couldn't see a thing he was looking at.

The bunny spoke up, trying not to sound too crestfallen. "It's not in the public records, huh?" Of course it would not be that easy. On top of that, she wasted her favor.

Clawhauser finally responded, "Well, I think I found the record for his dad, man Nick would have been a kid-"

Judy flinched at that and hissed, "No, Clawhauser! Don't go looking at all _that_ , I just want to know about Vivienne, don't dig that stuff up too!" The bunny was mortified. She was really getting her nose in it and she didn't want to actually damage her friendship over this. It was her glitch and not worth _really_ upsetting Nick.

Ben waved dismissively at the cringing bunny, saying casually, "Calm down, Judy, think about it a moment!" He turned the monitor down so she could see the screen. It showed a record of a family plot for John Wilde. It was not in Zootopia. It was in New Reynard about 180 miles to the north and west. The cheetah explained, "I couldn't find a record of them burying a Vivienne Wilde in Zootopia during that time period, so I looked up her mate. If there was already a family plot, they might not have had to make a purchase, and I wouldn't see a record. If you are looking for her, she's probably there, Judy." The cheetah was openly proud of his information 'hunting' skill. Judy blinked, genuinely impressed at his mental dexterity. She would keep this side of her cheetah friend in mind as it could definitely come in handy later if she and Nick were struggling with information.

She grinned brightly up to him. "Well done, Clawhauser, sorry I doubted you!" she saluted. "So, does it show that she _was_ actually buried there now that you see where to look?" she asked.

The cheetah sighed sadly with a pout. "No, it doesn't, but I can't look that up here, it's cross jurisdiction and I only saw his dad because after 20 years that stuff's publicly archived for the whole region. I would have to be in records for something that recent, please don't make me go down to records." The cheetah had the fingers on both paws crossed.

Judy sighed and smiled. "Okay, you are off the hook, I think you are most likely right. I'm sure enough that I will take the trip out there. It would be tacky to go Sunday and I want to be around just in case Nick needs me to distract him, but I am off Monday and Nick switched with Delgato so I won't be doing anything that day anyway." She was mostly thinking out loud, trying to formulate her plan. She hadn't gone anywhere except for Zootopia and Bunnyburrow in years, so the thought of striking out on her own with her secret mission was oddly thrilling. She looked up to see an obvious smirk on the cheetah's face. "What?" she asked.

"Not doing anything because Nick's working?" he asked. "It seems to me that you are out of sorts if you don't have your foxy."

The rabbit stared at Clawhauser blankly. "What?" She then gasped and flattened down her burning ears. "No! It's not like that, I just haven't been here long enough to get to know a lot of people in the city!" The heavy desk officer held his sides, laughing a lot louder than he needed to, embarrassing Judy terribly. She drummed her foot loudly at the reaction and then sighed, smiling at the big cat. "Thank you Ben, this helped me a lot. Consider us even. Until I get my paws on another back stage pass." She flashed a grin. The desk officer gasped at that and ran in place a little which was highly comical.

"Can you!?" he asked rapturously.

"If I save the city again sure, why not?" she laughed. She turned to leave. Clawhauser whimpered at that.

"Get my hopes up just to cast them against the rocks," he sighed. "Good luck with your search Judy. I won't say anything to Nick, but give him lots of cheer and support, okay? We're here for him." Judy smiled warmly as she walked to the door. That was a large part of what she needed to say to his mother. They were there for him. He was not alone. And he'd never be alone again, even if he didn't see it.

Saturday was a very wet day. Judy and Nick were in the Rainforest District and spent almost four hours dealing with a ferry accident that resulted from an untethered junk drifting across the river followed by a captain's quick reaction and slow counter-correction. The ferry ran aground and resulted in quite a few thankfully minor injuries, but it required that Nick and Judy take over a hundred reports from the individual injured passengers. This did _not_ put Nick in a great mood because he hated being rained on and it happened every twenty minutes at least for the duration. It was thankfully not terribly hot that day on top of it, but the dreary weather did have a negative effect on Nick's mood even before the accident. Or perhaps he was just going downhill as they were coming up on Mother's day.

She wished deeply that the chief had not kind of provoked this mess with that particular timing. However, the more she thought about it, the more it felt like she really needed to know. He might refuse it right then, but he would need help through this eventually. She just had no idea how to help since he felt he didn't deserve comfort. So she left it alone yet another day.

Arriving at the station left them with two hours of paperwork filing. Nick actually nearly fell asleep in the middle of completing it. Judy felt sad about that. He must have stayed up late watching movies or just… dealing with things. She felt a tug in her chest as she thought about perhaps a little too deeply and shook it away. Once they were over the hump Sunday, Nick would bounce back, and she would try to refocus him on the good he was doing. Judy had decided to do a little more research to hopefully get a better idea of what she would be doing and where she would be going Monday morning. She was eager to head out for this task once she had dressed down in civilian clothes, a dark green sweater and jeans. As she headed to the door however, Nick stopped her.

"Carrots, hold up!" he barked, stepping a bit faster to catch up. Judy's heart hammered as the bunny perked her long ears attentively. Had the rumor mill already wound its way from Clawhauser back to him? Would she really have to shower the boxing ring in cheetah spots?

She replied nervously, "What's up, slick, you almost missed me!" Judy smiled genuinely, trying hard to help Nick bounce back from his sour mood. He didn't look angry at least, so it was doubtful Ben had told him anything, but he still looked a little morose.

"Hey, just... I'm sorry I've been a bit…" He seemed to struggle with the word. Judy didn't want to say how she felt he _had_ been in case that's not where he was going with the conversation and she didn't want him feeling worse about it.

She answered quickly, "You're fine Nick! Even I've nodded off doing paperwork before. You're just tired, and I can really sympathize." She nodded insistently. She could empathize with that and not put him on the spot.

Nick shook his head. "No, about the other stuff. My personal stuff. It'll be okay. I'll get around it, just need to… you know…" He looked down, obviously really uncomfortable. Judy did not want to push him.

Judy answered softly, "Nick, it's alright. I'm not upset or anything. I'm just not really experienced at this kind of thing. I _am_ here for you no matter what. If you want to talk, if you want to hang out and be distracted, team up on Howl of Duty and snipe someone's under-supervised kits, you name it!" Nick chuckled at that last part, and appeared to consider it a moment.

He then looked back up to his partner and smiled. "Thanks, Fluff. I… I am actually really wiped out today though, so I am gonna head home and get a bit of sleep. Keep your phone around, though. I might take you up on the game if I wake up and feel a little more refreshed." He nodded at that.

Judy smiled back. "You just get some rest, I will be around. Be safe, Nick." She nodded again as the fox saluted and turned and headed out. Judy turned back and looked across the lobby. Clawhauser was at the desk with his chin on his paws, watching them. Judy flattened her ears back. Was he able to hear that? She shook her head. Surely not. She turned and headed to her next stop on her little intrusive bunny quest.

A very short train ride and almost shorter walk later she was standing in front of a door that she knew her partner had visited over a year before. She looked at it with a heavy heart for a bit, lost in thought. What had it been like? How would she have reacted? Her eyes immediately felt wet and she shook herself out of her thoughts. She could not even imagine. She then stalked one door over and tapped on it very lightly. After a short wait, a much older lady raccoon opened the door.

She looked at Judy and widened her eyes. "Officer Judy Hopps! What brings you to my door?" Judy cringed. That was bad. She forgot that she still had something of a celebrity status after the whole Nighthowler incident, and she hoped Nick would not have any cause for contacting his former neighbor again. The bunny was not even in uniform. Was she really that recognizable? She smiled warmly, glad at least that she didn't seem to dislike the presence of an officer suddenly at her door.

Judy said in a quiet tone, "Good morning, Miss…" she lowered her head, ears back graciously.

"Clarabelle." The raccoon stated warmly, pulling her shawl around her a little tighter. "How may I assist the ZPD?" she asked.

Judy nodded happily, then half-whispered, "Actually, I am not here on official police business, I am trying to find out some information for a friend." She stated. "Did you know the mammal who lived in the apartment next door a little over a year ago?" Judy asked.

The raccoon widened her eyes and shrunk back a little sadly. "Oh dear, yes, yes… Mrs. Wilde, but she's passed on." The raccoon cupped her muzzle a little, as if it were a taboo to even say it.

Judy replied, "I was wondering if you knew anything about what happened to her. Was there a funeral? Where was it held?" she asked. If she could find out which funeral home had been involved she might very well be able to get a definite answer before buying a train ticket.

Clarabelle waved a dark, dexterous paw to the bunny. "Oh no, I was not so close to Mrs. Wilde as all that. I knew her but she was pretty quiet and I hadn't been here very long when it happened."

Judy rubbed her chin, considering that and then asked, "Was she close to anyone else here in the apartment building, do you know?

The raccoon thought a moment, seeming to really try to come up with something that would help before admitting, "Not that I could tell. Certainly no one on this floor."

Judy asked, a bit warily, "I am curious… what exactly happened? Was there an accident?" She was cautious about this, not certain she had a right to even ask.

The elder raccoon did not appear to like the question but steeled her resolve to help all the same, speaking finally. "I don't know really. I remember some loud crying, and then the emergency mammals came and they took the body. I saw the gurney, but I didn't see her close enough to see ... you know… any of that. Injuries and all. I didn't want to see." She shifted a bit uncomfortably then continued. "…but the movers came a few weeks later and took her stuff and that was all. It was sudden, but no one said a thing about her after that. I mean, until a fox came a few weeks later looking for her. I think he might have been an uninformed relative. I told him what happened and he just kinda… broke." Hearing her put it like that was heart-rending to Judy. Some kind of emotion must have flashed over the rabbit's face at considering it because the procyanid seemed to latch on the detail as being important. "Oh, you don't… You don't think he was involved do you? Foul play?" Clarabelle leaned a little closer, wringing her small paws under her shawl. The tone was laden with potential for gossip.

Judy gritted her teeth. "On no, no, no!" she called loudly. "It was nothing of that sort. He was family, like you said. This is a personal thing for me, nothing more. I am trying to find out some information about her, is all." Judy nodded at the procyanid emphatically. She did _not_ want a rumor getting back to Nick that Vivienne had been killed by a shady fox character only to later find out that the source of that rumor was his nosey partner. That would be a sloppy wet disaster on fire. Thankfully the raccoon seemed to surrender the gossip direction genuinely enough.

Clarabelle sighed a bit and said, "Well, I do hope you find the information you are looking for, dearie. You did a lot for the little guys in the city." Judy blushed a bit under her fur. She did not like being praised for that because she felt she messed it up way more than she fixed it. It took many months for the effects of her disastrous press conference to ease up.

"Thank you, Clarabelle." Judy stated. "I hope I can do more to restore the peace and happiness in Zootopia. There's a lot more work to be done." The rabbit smiled and Clarabelle nodded and smiled brightly back, sincerity in her grin before retreating back into her apartment. Judy turned and headed home, no closer to solving her mystery, but having a better idea of the suddenness of it.

She arrived home just as the sun was going down and checked her phone. There was no message from Nick. She pondered giving him a call and checking on him, seeing if he still felt up for a game, and scolded herself again for crowding him. Growing up with a large family, personal space was in short supply and being close and hands-on was a natural state of being that kept one from going crazy. A bunny family was very social and affectionate and she did not want to forget that foxes might not be exactly the same. She nodded as she put the phone down, an act of sensitivity, not neglect. She hoped Nick was getting a good night's rest. He had planned to spend tomorrow alone, but she would message him in the morning to make sure he still wanted to keep it that way. Nick was the only one who could change her plans for the following days.

There were two messages waiting on Judy's phone when she checked it early the next day. The first one was at about 4 AM and read:

 _It would appear that a cider and a nap got translated by my tired fox body to a cider and good night sweet prince._

The other was:

 _I'm sorry I missed you. I played anyway. The kits have been practicing. This fox has no wind resistance left. This is easier with a bunny._

Judy laughed at the second one. She honestly did not like the game until she played it with Nick because she felt like war games glorified the very problems she had to deal with in society involving aggression. As she experienced it with Nick However, she found that it was kind of therapeutic. Also, Nick's reactions to things going terribly wrong in Howl of Duty always had her in stitches. She regretted not playing with him, but felt better that he did decide to play instead of doing something less social. She texted him back.

 _It lives! Sorry I didn't get to offer support fire, I was very asleep by then. Now my fox whistles when he runs!_

She put her phone back down and made a quick and simple instant breakfast. Her tiny apartment did not have a stove, so her little microwave had to be the all-purpose kitchen. After she ate, she checked her phone and was relieved to see Nick had replied. She had really worried that because of the dreaded holiday he'd be completely silent. She read his reply.

 _I'm your fox now? I'm gonna need to see a bill of sale, miss…_

Judy's ears burned. That's _not_ how she meant it. She had been (mostly jokingly) called out for being possessive of her partner by Wolfard in the past. Nick was assigned to Delgato for additional computer and surveillance training and it frustrated the rabbit very obviously. Judy had stated that it was a bunny thing, but it wasn't and she knew it. She had caught herself being jealous of that situation, which had been pretty embarrassing. She chalked it up to her not having a lot of good friends in Zootopia early on. She was being clingy and curbed herself a bit after that. And yet, there it was, rearing its ugly head again in text. This time, she could not think of a reason. She wasn't jealous, just possessive. She replied immediately.

 _You know what I mean, Slick! XP_

Nick replied seconds later:

 _Help! Thief! This bunny is stealing foxes! Hide yo kits! Hide yo todds!_

Judy groaned, but felt better to see Nick being playful. She leaned back on her bed and held her phone up, sending another message.

 _Since we are both off, how are you feeling? Do you want to hang out a bit? We can go bowling, I bet Finnick would want to join._

Judy really did not want Nick to have to be alone today. There was a much longer pause before the next message. It was a good ten or twelve minutes of Judy watching her phone pensively.

 _It sounds like fun, but I really do want to just hang out here at the apartment today. It's just… Not a day I want to be out. I promise, I would be awful company today. Thank you though._

The bunny was crestfallen, but understood. She felt better having made the offer, but she felt Nick's reason for being alone was what was getting to her. He wasn't excluding himself because he didn't want to be near her, or would not enjoy it. He was punishing himself. Judy disagreed with Nick's feeling that he needed punishment more than what he'd already been through, but once again decided not to push it. She messaged him back.

 _As I said before, I'm here if you need me, partner. If you want me to drop by and watch a bunch of movies with you, or something low-energy that's fine too. They just added the whole Beverly Tails Cop series to instant-watch, so there's that. Just give me a ring - I will have my phone with me._

There was a very short pause before Nick replied.

 _I will be okay, thank you Judy._

The bunny frowned a bit, wondering if she should garner the same seriousness from him writing her actual name as she did when he said it, or perhaps even more. She sat back down and sighed. She hoped Nick really could get through something like this. He'd been pretty normal after he got out of the academy so she assumed he would get back to that at least, but she wondered how much of that was really just his walls keeping anyone from seeing what was really going on. How long could Nick's walls last? Would she see more of the open agitation and emotional distress she had seen in the chief's office? As Judy stared at the ceiling for what felt like half an hour, tumbling around thoughts in her head, her phone rang. She immediately brought it to her ear without even checking to see who it was.

"Yes?" she asked, expecting, for some reason, Nick to be on the other side. Perhaps he'd changed his mind. What came out of the phone was a voice she had least expected.

"Officer Hopps." Chief Bogo's blunt, heavy, deep voice boomed even on her phone's tiny speaker. The bunny held the phone a little further from her ear.

"Y-yes Chief?" she asked in a lighter tone, trying to be polite.

"Where are you at the moment?" he asked.

"I'm at my apartment. Haven't been awake long. Shorthanded?" she asked.

"No, no, not that; is Wilde with you?" he inquired, his voice softer in case the fox was able to hear.

"No, Nick's at home, he's taking the day. I guess he really kinda needs it. I'm … You could say I am on call if he changes his mind and wants me to drop by to keep him company," Judy explained, not wanting to give too much information to the chief. She didn't want to share too much about her partner since he was being pretty adamant about his privacy.

"I had hoped you might be able to offer him some distraction today. It's… It's got to be difficult for him." Bogo stated in his usual blunt manner, but the statement itself kind of shocked Judy. She was not used to hearing the Chief being so personally caring about an officer.

"I did offer, but Nick seems to want to just… be by himself today. I can understand I guess, but I don't really like it. I feel kind of bad about it." Judy said softly.

The chief answered softly, "Everyone deals with grief differently, Hopps, we can only give him his space if he wants it, but his level of stress while he was talking about it has me a little … concerned about the long term effects it might be having on him. He passed his psychological exam just fine at the end of his training, but we both know that Nick can sell Magic Eye posters to moles. So… I wanted your personal opinion on something, Hopps." Judy swallowed more loudly than she intended. The chief was going to ask her if Nick was actually fit for duty. She honestly was not sure how much of his emotional capacity was used up by this problem, and she had seen first-hand that the general public could be nasty to him. What would it take to break through Nick's wall? What would he do if they did? Fortunately, Bogo asked something different. "Do you think Wilde would accept it if I offered him the services of our on-site psychologist?" Judy blinked at that. She had not even considered that. She thought a moment.

She then shook her head a little. "No, I really doubt he would. He barely opens up to me, and I'm his best friend. I don't think he'd talk to a stranger about it." She felt pretty sure about that.

The chief spoke back evenly, "Perhaps, Hopps, but did you notice that he was more willing to talk to me about it if you weren't there? He tried to get you out of the room." Judy widened her eyes, remembering that clearly.

"Well, yes, but…" she wasn't sure what to add.

"Nick's ashamed of what happened, not just grieving. Talking about this is easier when it's not someone he's invested so much respect with. He doesn't know Doctor Carlisle. He might be more open to working through his issues because it will be closer to just working them out on his own in terms of how exposed he feels. I was thinking about offering it to him when I apologize formally on his return tomorrow… in private." Judy considered that a moment, and then drew in a deep breath as she conceded.

"It could not hurt to offer. Just… Can we not make it a job requirement, or seem like it is? If I see any hint that it might really be… compulsory… for him I promise I'll tell you, but let him see it as an option first. I don't want him to regret telling us about it." The chief was quiet, perhaps to think on that some, and then spoke.

His deep voice resonated again, "Alright, Hopps. I will make it an extended offer, so it doesn't seem that it's forced. But please pay attention to him. Your life may actually depend on his mind being on his job."

"I will. Thank you Chief." Judy stated, and Bogo hung up without saying goodbye. That was his way. Judy dropped her phone on her pillow. Would Nick be angry, she wondered? Would he take the offer and get some help? She closed her eyes and shook her head. In a little more than 24 hours she intended to be standing at the final resting place of Vivienne Wilde. She wanted to tell her that her son was going to be okay, but would she be telling her the truth?


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note:**

 _I'm keeping up a pretty good head of steam here. I've missed writing and I am genuinely having fun with this. I am, as of the writing of this, not sure exactly how long this story arc will be. I suspect about five or six parts, but who knows. Sometimes stories grow on their own. They are not gentle, tame things at all. My readers are often as surprised as I am._

 _This is a labor of love, not profit, as such, I do not own the characters, the story, or Disney. If I did, I am sure I would have traded it for magic beans or something. Seems like the kind of thing I'd do. Anyway, enjoy the read!_

 **Thanks for the Fox**

Chapter 3: Road Trips and a Fox Memorial

Judy packed a light bag, the ridiculous one with the handles that looked like bunny ears that her parents tried several times to give her. She eventually took it. It came in handy for heading out to the park or keeping a single change of clothes if she was going jogging before work. The bunny did not like travelling far without at least enough supplies to last her an extra day, even if it was supposed to just be a day trip. Issues come up and it was certainly possible get stuck somewhere overnight. Her mother taught her some basic rules of travel and while she had not experienced that problem yet, she'd heard plenty of her family members say they had. The train she took left the station before the sun was even up. It would be a two and a half hour trip so she made sure her phone was fully charged and brought some granola bars to snack on.

The train going out to New Reynard was nearly empty. It would be bringing back more folks to the city of Zootopia than it would be taking out to the smaller town, obviously. The bunny fired up her phone and looked up some information about the town she was visiting. She looked for maps and places of interest. Judy was surprised to see just how small the town actually was. It was smaller than Bunnyburrow and pretty sheltered by forest from the satellite map she had pulled up.

The population was mostly vulpine which she found a little surprising. There were a few other places like that which she knew about. Obviously Bunnyburrow was heavily lapine, and the city of Fenrir was overwhelmingly wolf, but she hadn't really heard anyone talk about any particularly… foxy settlement. Perhaps it was not well known because it was so small. Was this where Nick's roots were? She felt a little guilty for asking him so little about his past and his family, but he really didn't seem to like to share any of that. Judy knew that she could be a little nosy when it came to personal matters and tried to keep it more passive with Nick. If he wanted to share, she listened. That was what she did.

She turned the map this way and that, little bunny claw tips tracing over the screen of her phone, and saw that the appropriately named Musk Street was the main thoroughfare through town. It featured the town hall, a school, a grocery store and a diner. Across the street from the town hall was a small cemetery which appeared to be the only one in town. That would be her immediate destination. The train station was actually just outside town, so there would be a short walk to get to that place. It didn't look like it would be more than about twenty minutes on foot however, so that was not really discouraging.

Judy leaned back and relaxed a bit. After about an hour of going back and forth between watching the city shrink behind her and the trees getting progressively denser, she heard her phone ring. She looked at it and gritted her teeth. It was Nick. He would have been getting ready for work, covering for another officer's shift right then. She hoped he didn't ask her to drop by or anything.

The bunny answered her phone. "Well good morning, Slick! Enjoying the working side of a traded day off?" she asked mirthfully.

"Blargh." Nick grumbled. "I barely slept a wink last night. But I feel a little better elsewise, ready to tackle the world. Do you want me to stop by your place with coffee or anything on my way in?" he asked. Judy's stomach tightened. She could not lie to Nick. It wasn't so much that she felt a moral imperative not to, given what was at stake, it was more that she sucked at lying and Nick saw through her like window glass.

She chimed brightly, "Nah, I am actually out and about. Besides, my place is like… the opposite direction for you, so why make your commute longer?" she laughed.

Nick replied in an even, friendly tone, "Because my bunny best friend has been very good and given me space instead of driving me nuts like I assumed she might. I needed it." He answered. Judy felt a pang of hard guilt like the striking of a gong. She was as deep in his business right now as she could possibly be without involving him directly. On top of that, Bogo was likely to ask him about therapy when he got to work today, and she knew it. It was a double helping of guilt. Nick continued on his end, "But, of course you are out and about, you do not believe in sleeping in and having a lazy morning, do you?" Nick teased. "What in the world required you to already be 'out and about' at this unholy hour?" the fox asked with the tone of a grin in his voice. Judy's mind raced. She had to put in enough truth so it wasn't a complete fabrication or he'd spot it instantly. She hated this.

Attempting to tamp down the caution in her voice, Judy said, "I'm running an errand for Gideon actually. He wanted me to check on something out in New Reynard for him… concerning his business, so I'm going out there. Probably not gonna get back before you get off, honestly." She winced. That sounded so half baked.

"New Reynard? I had family from there." Nick said with curiosity in his voice. "They have a great diner, but I kind of doubt their menu's gonna excite you." He laughed. At first, Judy felt like she was falling as Nick possibly put two and two together about why else she might go, but he had thankfully dismissed that instantly to talk about the sights instead.

Judy sighed and said softly, "I might check it out regardless. I only brought granola bars with me," she stated, wanting to keep the conversation from becoming deeper in meaning. "You be careful at work. I hate not being there to protect you from larger mammals," she brightly teased.

Nick stated confidently, "Oh, I suspect Bogo will have me in Sahara Square today. Keep it light. He knows I'm not as effective without my bunny backup." He sounded much more like his jovial self, which pleased Judy quite a bit. She relaxed a little more with the conversation not swiveling back around to Nick's family. This was punctuated by a sigh from the bunny which brought out a sharp retort from the fox. "Hey, no yawning!" the vulpine complained, misunderstanding the sigh. "I'm having enough trouble as… it… is…" he obviously yawned through the last part of the sentence. Judy smiled at that. Sleepy was better than catastrophically depressed.

The bunny smiled and said casually, "Okay slick, I will let you get back to work." She moved a claw tip to push the hang-up button on her phone.

"Oh, hey... Carrots?" Nick asked. It caused Judy's heart to sink. He knew something. He had to. She had almost succeeded and now the real interrogation would start. What was Gideon's business in New Reynard? Who was her contact? Nick knew everyone and he would know she didn't have a real contact. If she didn't have a contact, she'd never have gone all the way out to an unfamiliar place to help someone else with their business. This was a disaster before she'd even gotten her train seat warm.

"Yeah?" the bunny shakily replied, dreading whatever questions might be coming.

His voice was a little softer, more serious as he said, "I want you to be careful in New Reynard. They don't have a lot of… diversity out there. Like… You are gonna run into folks that might never have even seen a bunny before, I'm dead serious." Judy was so relieved by the direction of conversation that she barely even registered that she might be going somewhere unpleasant based on what her partner was saying. She didn't care about that, she wasn't sunk. Nick continued. "They are out of the way for a reason, and the train stop's only been there a couple of years. I don't know if it's gotten much better than when I was a kid but just… be careful. Don't do a bunch of wandering around beyond what you are there to do. They are … a curious and suspicious lot and you obviously are gonna be out of place." Judy listened carefully to Nick. She had not considered that she was genuinely going to be in danger on this private mission of hers, but she was still ready to face it. Surely this town was not lawless. She would only be checking out the cemetery, maybe the diner, and heading back out. She would make sure she was not followed before heading back to the train station, just to be sure.

The bunny finally responded to her partner after she got her nerved reigned in again. "I'll be careful. I'm going right from the station to Musk Street and then back. I have no reason to be anywhere else." She was being honest about that at least and hoped that comforted her partner a little. She didn't want him worrying enough to ask more questions. Judy really hated being evasive or untruthful to Nick but it just was not worth it to have him upset again with all he was already going through. This was personal to Judy and did not need to involve him directly.

After a moment of silence from his side, Nick responded, "Thanks, Fluff. Message me when you leave there, will ya?" That was actually touching and unexpected to Judy, giving her pause. Nick cared about her. That wasn't an outright surprise on its own, of course. She knew he did, but little reminders of their friendship were always treats to the somewhat sentimental grey bunny.

Judy smiled and answered sunnily, "I will, Slick. Talk to you soon!" She disconnected the call and groaned, pinching shut her violet eyes. She knew the risk she was taking in possibly really irritating him, but this would be a quick, uneventful trip and she'd be right back and there would be nothing to say about it. Her message would be delivered and her heart at ease. A mother's peace was paramount to the bunny now. Judy knew it would give a bunny some peace too. This was too much of a loose end for her to endure.

The rest of the trip was uneventful save for her mom messaging her and telling her that one of her cousins had called off a wedding. Judy was sure she had not even been told one was planned in the first place, leading to a little confusing back and forth with her mother. Being a part of a larger family, someone always had something going on. It was often hard to keep track of it. Judy had apparently been told, but the engagement happened around the same time Nick graduated the academy. She was so focused on that event, she just didn't remember at all. It had only been a few months but it already felt like forever ago. Life in the city was so busy.

Right then, however, Judy was not in the city. The train slowly glided into the rather new Briar Point Station and the bunny finally disembarked. As the train's brakes hissed, she stood stark still. There was utterly nothing there. It was a strip of concrete out in the middle of the forest that honestly looked like it belonged in a story book just over the words 'once upon a time a bunny went into the woods'. She was a little unnerved by the scene. The residents there obviously liked keeping the natural splendor. Perhaps the train station was positioned far from town to reduce noise. Judy knew Nick liked the quiet. The scent was lovely, however. Wisteria and honeysuckle were heavy in the air, and the warm breeze cast mottled patches of sun back and forth over the ground. Judy suddenly wondered if Nick might want to come here with her some time just to hang out. Taking a deep breath, the rabbit set out for town.

No cars passed her as she walked on the narrow, two-lane road, and the birds in the trees sang their chorus for the young slender lapine to experience as she hiked. The density of the forest meant that it stayed cool without the morning sun bearing down on the lapine as she walked. She enjoyed a remarkably pleasant journey in this way to the edge of town. A large wooden sign marked the beginning of town clearly, and it looked well cared for and tidy.

Judy was aware, from a tour of Zootopia she was given by Wolfard, that the region most of the foxes in Zootopia called home was not at all neat and tidy. Happytown was practically a slum. However, this place was actually very close to what Judy would feel obligated to call a 'small town paradise'. She immediately liked it. As she entered the town proper and ascended a hill, the center of town became visible through the trees. It was a considerably less wooded and boasted a very eye-catching feature in the center of town. In the middle of a lovely park was a large white stone statue of a fox with a feathered cap and a long bow.

The slightly kneeling and carefully tended figure held a small bag out to the eager paws of a couple of obviously under-fed raccoon children. This was not a surprising cultural icon to see in the center of _this_ particular town. Judy moved over to look at it more closely. She wondered if it was considered poor manners to take pictures. Her mom and dad loved the old town culture in Bunnyburrow and Judy was sure they'd like this a lot too. Her quiet admiration of the artistic representation of this figure was interrupted by a small voice behind her.

"Rabbit?" She turned and saw no one at eye level. She immediately looked down and her heart nearly exploded with delight. A little fox kit stood there before her with very round eyes, regarding her with furious curiosity.

"Well hello there!" Judy greeted kindly.

The kit laughed a little, ears perking with interest. "You sure are a bunny," the red fox said with a big grin. He looked a lot like she suspected Nick might have at that age, maybe seven or eight, except this one's eyes were bright blue. His face was round and nose small and pointy. He wore a black collared shirt and tan slacks, something tidy for school. It was early enough he was likely on his way there, since it was just down the street. Judy liked most kits and cubs, as was natural, but this particular one inexplicably provoked her maternal instincts almost as hard as her own younger siblings did. She knelt down, the little kit backing up a little, thick fluffy tail flitting side to side. Judy briefly reminded herself of what her partner had said. Some of them might never have seen a bunny before. She needed to make a nice impression.

"I am, yes!" Judy stated in an intentionally softer than normal tone. "My name's Judy. I'm just visiting for a short while," she explained. She was careful not to seem too boisterous, as spooking the children here did not seem to be a useful way of conducting herself in a new place.

The kit then spoke excitedly. "Cool! Do you know who _that_ is?" he pointed up at the statue with his thumb.

Judy nodded, still kneeling down with the little fox. "I do. He's a hero to a lot of us bunnies too, you know. He helped everyone, so long as they needed it," she explained. While her feelings for a noble thief were a little mixed, given her profession, she certainly didn't want to offend the kit if he regarded that fox as a role model. After all, that particular fox's story was more about justice and fairness than crime. The kit bounced a bit on his heels.

"Yup! And since you know that, we don't hafta capture you!" Judy blinked at that, and the kit turned and darted toward the school. He exclaimed, "Bunny's cool, abort the operation!" Four other kits of similar pattern and color darted out from behind a hedge near the statue and followed the other russet child. They looked like they might all be brothers. Judy chuckled a bit, and then rubbed the back of her head. She wondered what would have happened if she hadn't satisfied them in their test concerning the vulpine hero.

Wistfully, she found herself imagining those little kits running around this sweet and innocent town, getting into the normal trouble little kits that age get into. It was easy to picture them having the kind of adventures she did at that age, getting home too late or covered in mud and getting in trouble with mom. The bunny widened her eyes again and considered that. Had she ever considered foxes in such a tender fashion before she met Nick? How different was she from the days of her less experienced youth?

She then quietly wondered if this town was more like what the fox community in Zootopia might look like if mammals were less unkind to some of the more maligned species in the city. Was this what their communities were supposed to be like? Judy grimaced. Long game. Nick was playing the long game. Hopefully one day it would be like this for them as well.

She turned around again and looked out beyond the statue, seeing the cemetery. The happy thoughts of little fox kits tumbling around in the grass or play-fighting with sticks as swords evaporated. Instead, the loss of Vivienne Wilde registered in her mind again. She was not here on a vacation or to connect with more foxes. Judy had a sad and singular purpose. The dark iron gate was clearly visible as it rose higher above the old-looking neat stone wall around the cemetery. Judy made her way to the entrance. That was her goal. She padded in that direction, starting to see a few other mammals out and about. A few stopped and stared at the bunny heading toward the final resting place of their shady, tranquil community. She suddenly felt a little self-conscious. What possible reason would a rabbit have to be there? Nick warned her to not look suspicious but a bunny in a fox cemetery? How right was that supposed to look? She took a breath and held it a moment as she passed the gate, then sighed heavily, silently ridiculing herself for her kit-hood superstition.

Parts of the cemetery seemed pretty old, but it was still not very large. It really was a very small town. She wandered back and forth slowly, cautiously peeking up from time to time to see how much attention she was getting. A few folks stopped outside the gate and talked a bit and then dispersed but so far no one was moving to approach her. She was reading names as fast as she could near and far, furtively glancing about before she found a dark colored headstone. It was not very large and had the name Wilde. It was situated under a large and particularly old tree. Judy moved briskly over to it. She drew in a deep breath.

 _John Wilde_

 _1967 – 1991_

 _Semper Amare_

The date was about 26 years prior. It had to be the one. Judy looked at the plot curiously.

There was a spot beside it. It was clear enough to see it was a double plot as most of them were, but there wasn't a grave marker present for Vivienne. Judy furrowed her brow. Would they bury her without one if she didn't have money for one? Wouldn't they mark it at least somehow? It didn't make any sense. John was right there, where was his mate? Judy sighed.

"What 'zactly are ye' lookin for?" came a raspy voice behind her. It made the bunny literally jump about four feet into the air. She turned in mid jump and landed on all fours, ready to bolt. The fox before her did not look fit to chase her. He looked so old that Judy was not certain he came into the cemetery with a clear plan of leaving it. He was light russet and silver with dark points and a very nice cream-colored suit. He appeared to be dressed in his Sunday best. He perked a bit at Judy's reaction. "Whoo-ee, you guys really are on springs, entcha?" He gave a raspy laugh which led into a worrisome cough. The bunny's heart raced. If he died while she was with him that would really cheese off the town, she bet. She calmed herself and rubbed the back of her head.

"I was looking for a friend's mom, but she doesn't seem to be here," Judy offered.

"Yer friend a Juniper?" he asked. The rabbit tilted her head.

"A Juniper?" she asked.

The vulpine codger replied in his raspy voice, "…Juniper family's the only bunnies restin' here. They'll be o'er on the front side where all them clovers been planted." He waved a paw toward them. Judy's eyes fixed, however, on his paw. It looked like it was already just bones covered in dark silver-flecked velvety fur. She shook her head, refocusing.

The bunny offered helpfully, "Oh no. I'm Judy Hopps. My friend's a fox, and that's his dad." She nodded down at the headstone.

The elderly fox mused quietly a moment and then said, "Oh, I gotcha now." He wheezed. "I'm Elliot Scritchard. I'm the caretaker here. Ent many of the Wilde's still in New Reynard, they mostly packed up and headed fer the big city. That's where you are more'n likely to find more of 'em." He nodded.

Judy gestured down to the simple grave in front of her. "Well, the one I am looking for would have been this one's mate, so I was sure she'd be here. Do foxes ever request to be apart like that?" she asked.

"No, gen'rilly not," the older vulpine wheezed. "But if she was hard up, and went inside of Zootopia, she'd likely not have made it back here unless family brought her." Judy suddenly felt hollow as she felt the blood leave her face. Nick didn't find out Vivienne died until a couple of weeks after. He could not have claimed her in order to bring her home. If Nick actually thought he was responsible for his mother not being laid to rest with his father… The bunny cupped her little muzzle. It was even worse than she thought. How would they even fix that?

Judy finally spoke a bit numbly, "Do you know what they might have done with her? Is there a place they take foxes who are unclaimed to rest?" She asked this in a very meek tone. What right did she have to even inquire about that?

"You rilly care about foxes," the old, smartly dressed caretaker rumbled thoughtfully. He gazed at her with blue-grey eyes oddly piercing and sly despite his age. His ears went back and he stated sadly, "You won't like this answer none at-tahl then. See, if no one's gonna put them to rest, the city converts them t' ashes and it's the freedom on the wind fer them foxes."

Judy's mouth fell open and she felt her heart drop to her feet and tears collect at the corners of her wide eyes. Oh no. Vivienne. Did Nick know that? Did he actually know what would have happened to her? His father would be alone in this quiet cemetery forever because his own son hadn't been there for his mate after he was gone. It was utterly unthinkable. No wonder this had made Nick hate himself so much. Judy was wholly unprepared for just how bad this could have been for her partner.

"Julie?" The voice of the caretaker shook her from her runaway realization.

Judy jerked slightly, not even caring that he got her name wrong. She gasped out, "That's… terrible…" Tears finally escaped, silently rolling down her grey-toned cheeks.

"There, there, little bunny… So emotional…" Judy flinched even more at that, the unintended consequence being that she thought harder about Nick. She couldn't stand up any more, going awkwardly to her knees and then just crying freely. She felt so stupid. She couldn't fix this. She couldn't help her friend through this. It was damage that could not be undone, and Nick absolutely blamed himself for all of it. The older fox leaned over. He groaned a little as he did. He likely was not finding it easy to bend in any direction anymore. "It'll be alright, young lady. It's okay."

"No! It's awful… It's so messed up… They all deserved better than this!" she choked out.

"Naw, now hear, hear… it's not as bad as all that now," he tried to comfort the shaking doe, "…don't ye cry, foxes are sentimental, sure, but we're also a hardy lot. Some of us e'en prefer the wind to the box, ye know?" Judy struggled to regain her composure. She was definitely making a scene at this point, crying over Nick's father's grave like she was family. From how Clarabelle had been speaking, it did not seem Vivienne was highly social, and Nick would not likely have been a listed contact for her if he'd walked out so long ago. It was not only possible, but likely that her fate was exactly as the caretaker said. Ashes to the wind. Vivienne Wilde was just… gone. John Wilde now rested alone. Their son was left to suffer for his mistake. Judy stood up shakily and sighed, wiping her eyes. The bunny looked back to the older vulpine. She could at least show gratitude for his help.

She spoke shakily, "Th-Thank you so much for helping me, Elliot. I am still… Very glad I came here. I had never even seen pictures of this place." She looked around the beautiful town, quiet cemetery, and listened to the softly swaying boughs of the trees overhead. "I am just… stunned to see how lovely it is. You have such a beautiful town." Complementing the town and showing her polite appreciation to the other fox helped Judy pull herself out of the swirling maelstrom that had formed in her heart. She had not been ready for the full realization of just what kind of permanent harm this likely did to her closest friend.

The older fox chuckled a bit, looking back toward town before saying, "It ain't all pretty like this everywhere, 'specially 'round in the hills and at the crick, but the town center's kept up lovely, yer right. I rilly am sorry I didn't have better news for you and yorn." Elliot murmured.

"It's fine, at least I am not just scratching my head over a total mystery." Judy stated. "I know myself well enough to know I would have dumped a lot of time into solving it. It wouldn't have hurt any less if I found out after all that, I'm sure," she sighed.

"Why were ye searching for this fox's mate again?" Scritchard asked curiously. Judy looked up at him as he asked that. It was a fair enough question after he'd helped her as he had.

She answered, "I had hoped to tell her that her son was doing okay and that he has lots of friends who are taking good care of him, but I guess there's not a place to really… do that now." Judy sighed. Elliot smiled wryly at her, and she was a little shaken by how it reminded her of Nick's more genuine smile, the one that he only used when he really meant it. The fox murmured softly again, this time nearly in a whisper as he leaned down close. He placed a paw on Judy's left shoulder.

"Shore there is, Julie." He stated in that rattling ancient tone, appearing suddenly so full of the wisdom of all his years. Judy looked into his eyes which peered deeply into her own, his smile sweet and tender. She could not bring herself to interrupt him to correct him on her name. He continued, "There always was… You kin tell her anythin' ye want right here…" He slid his paw down, and placed his palm over Judy's heart. Her breath caught. "… You love her blood kin, then she can find her way there jest fine no matter where she's gone." Judy placed her smaller fingers over the wrinkled older paw and then pulled herself up fully and looped an arm around his shoulders. She hugged the possibly centenarian vulpine gently, but close. She sniffled a bit and then leaned back, smiling to him with tears still in her eyes.

"Thank you, Elliot, again. I… I'm so glad I got to meet you here today." He smiled back, standing up a little straighter.

"Same here, bunny…" He paused a bit, ears back, as if uncertain, but his features softened and he spoke again slowly, "Say, yew might feel a little better if you snap up a bit to eat at the Diner. They have themselves a nice steamed up veggie medley that will pick a bunny up jest right I bet. You should head o'er there before ye leave. Ah do insist. Knowin' this was hard and all, 'druther you didn't try to travel till you've had something there."

Judy sucked in a deeper breath, and then stated, "You know what? I think I will. Thank you again, so much!" The bunny nodded as happily as she could to him and padded down the forested path out to the gate of the grave yard. The sun had risen above the trees at the edge of town by that point, so more mammals, all vulpine from what she could tell, were milling about. Four of them were by the gate but dispersed as Judy approached. They were content that she was not digging up graves, perhaps. Maybe one of them had sent the kindly living artifact to check her out. At least he would have nothing terrible to report to them. Judy walked down the sunny sidewalk toward the diner, feeling a little warmer. She would, when she got home, do exactly what Elliot suggested. She would tell Vivienne what she wanted to tell her in her own heart. Then, when Nick was ready to talk about it, she would use the old fox's own speech to comfort her partner. When he was ready.

The diner was spacious and clean. Those were the things Judy noticed first, but the spaciousness might have been magnified by the fact that aside from one middle-aged male vulpine in a dark suit who immediately folded his paper and got up to leave, she was the only customer. It was mid-morning on a Monday in a small town, so she had no idea if that was normal. Thankfully, the fox that got up did not seem to do so because of Judy, since he didn't appear to actually notice the bunny until he got almost right up to her on his way out. Judy found it kind of humorous how startled he looked, and she smiled brightly at him before hopping up to the adjustable stool at the wrap around counter.

There were two vixens working in the diner. One was black-furred with silver points, getting up there in her years and a little bit heavy-set. The other was a russet one who appeared a bit younger than the first, but not by much. She had markings more similar to Nick's. The lack of uniform on the first and the red and white striped apron-style uniform on the second made it seem that the first was a manager.

Predictably, the manager spoke up to get the other vixen's attention. "Bea… Bea! Customer up!" Her voice was gruff and scratchy, leading Judy to think the vixen in charge would be going on a smoke break soon enough. The one with the striped uniform approached Judy, though she seemed a little apprehensive. She appeared to be in her 50's at least, a bit of silver dusting the top of her angular muzzle. Old fashioned prejudices might still have been framed within her so the bunny decided to be as friendly as possible, smiling warmly up at her to try to help dispel her concerns. Judy was not nervous at least, which was welcome. The lady fox brightened up a little.

"We don't get a lot of bunnies here in New Reynard, I do hope the kids didn't hassle you too much," the vixen stated. Her voice was clear and sweet, but she did not seem to have the country accent that the bunny noticed from Elliot.

Judy smiled half-heartedly, still feeling a little emotionally derailed from the final result of her road trip, "Oh, it's okay, Bea. I met a few of them, they were sweet and polite," Judy answered. She was careful to use the waitress' name she'd heard her manager use to seem more personable. Elliot had been careful to do that, so Judy assumed it was significant in this place. It might well have been a custom here and she wanted to play by their rules. Nick's warning was still clear in her mind. The bunny continued, "Not a lot of call for us to wander out this far I guess." She tried to perk up after saying it because she realized she still sounded lost in thought and didn't want the vixens here to think she was not enjoying being near them. That simply wasn't the case.

"Well then, what'll you have – Wait, I know you…" Her eyes widened and she ticked a claw on her chin a moment, and then held it up, her eyes widening even more. They were brilliant emerald like Nick's. That made it harder for the bunny to chase away her glum feeling. Judy didn't know enough foxes to know if that was terribly common. Gideon had blue eyes, as did the kit she saw earlier. She decided to go ahead and get into the conversation to try to get around her emotional state.

The bunny answered cautiously, "I'm here from Zootopia, so – not a local."

Bea clapped her paws together, nodding emphatically, "The bunny police officer, right? It's the black-tipped ears. You got yourself all over the news, even all the way out here. The purple eyes… and small frame, I know I'm right." The waitress smiled warmly at her. Judy smiled back at her and nodded, affirming her suspicions. Hopefully her name was not a swear word in this place after the mistakes she made early on. Bea continued. "I don't watch the news much myself, I admit, but when I started working here a while back they were still talking about you in the diner a lot. Is that job really difficult with you being so much smaller?" the fox asked. Judy initially worried that this would turn into one of the rather cold question and answer sessions about that ill-fated press conference, but that query was actually closer to one of the common school presentation questions.

Judy smiled weakly and responded. "It can be, but we are pretty good about directing the right people to the right job. I messed up a lot early on of course, but I think I'm in kind of a groove now. I may not have a lot of me to give, but I give it all." She nodded at that. She wanted to get the conversation away from her and back toward steamed veggies.

"The sheriff here's actually not a fox, did you know that? He's a badger," Bea further prevented vegetables from happening. This diner would be great for dieting. "There's not a ton for the two deputies to do here. I mean… worst we get is a little too much drink in someone and lost kits. Kits don't seem to have the sense of direction I remember having when I was little." She turned around a few times in a somewhat comical spin. Judy finally realized with a resurgence of gladness that Bea was obviously trying to cheer her up with the light-hearted small talk. The waitress had easily picked up that the bunny came in a bit gloomy. With Judy cracking a smile, she leaned down a little closer. "Not to pry, but what brings Zootopia's only bunny cop to the region's most foxy settlement?" she picked up her laminated menu to hand to Judy. "You seemed a bit down when you came in, that's why I was worried someone said something to you." she appeared concerned. In a town like this she probably knew everyone. Maybe she knew someone who was likely to say something unkind.

"No, I came looking for someone who was from Zootopia to tell her about her son." Judy could not help but sound sad at that last part. Ultimately she had failed, and while Nick would not have even wanted her here doing this in the first place, she felt like she kind of failed him too. Her feelings about what he was going through were so much worse for her discoveries. She was not even aware that her ears were down her back again until Bea spoke again.

"Oh dear…" Bae's tone made it sound rather dire. She leaned back a little, taking the menu out of reach. Apparently customers did not get menus until they had satisfied the waitress' curiosity. Judy was okay with that. She was patient.

Judy sighed, leaning forward a little. "It's alright. Just… A sad mission to be on is all," she explained. She didn't want to bring the two vixens down, and while the dark-furred one had not said anything, she was obviously listening, one ear actually turned noticeably to the two as they talked. It was probably really hard to keep a secret in a town like this. The bunny did not want to seem like she was dodging questions though, as Nick said that foxes here tended to be suspicious. She just wanted to enjoy a quick bite to eat and get out on the next train. After a short pause from Bea, Judy caught her voice again, lilting sweetly, if cautiously.

"Well, being here and with what I do, and how we all talk, maybe I can help you find this lady. A vixen I am assuming? It's sad, I know, but it's an important job. If we can help, we sure will." She nodded, looking a bit more pleasant. The older manager vixen nodded at that too, though she looked more curious than sweet, not really cracking a smile to Judy.

"Can't hurt." Judy shrugged. "I was looking for Vivienne Wilde." Judy heard the sound of a laminated card hitting the floor, and looked up to the fox waitress. She looked positively blank and had dropped the menu she was holding. Judy's mind raced. Did she know Vivienne? The bunny's heart sped up. Judy suspected that Nick's father had been from this town since he was buried here, but had Vivienne been from here too? Was the waitress related to her and the subject of Vivienne's passing still a painful subject to bring up? Had there been much delay in them finding out with what happened to her? Judy might well have been tromping heavily on an open wound.

"V-Vivienne Wilde? Are you… Are you certain?" she asked.

Judy inhaled deeply and murmured softly, "I'm afraid so, yes. I'm sorry…" The look of distress in the waitress' eyes was alarming. It was definitely the expression of someone who was feeling crushed, a terrible wound re-opened. The russet vixen turned around, as if to look away from a scary movie. The dark-toned vixen came over as well, placing a gentle paw on her shoulder.

"It's okay. It's alright, dearie, no one else is here," the manager murmured reassuringly. Judy felt a lurching realization that Nick's mother's friends and family in this town might not even _know_ she had passed. This might well be the first news anyone here had of it.

Bea squeaked out, "I…" She leaned back against the counter, hugging herself. Judy felt a lot less hungry all of a sudden. She had been the one to inform family members of deaths before. It was never easy but this felt a lot closer to her heart. She was seeing Nick's pain in her eyes too, particularly with the emerald color. The waitress took a shaky breath.

Judy spoke up again in a half-whisper, "It's okay. This probably is the worst place to have brought it up." The vixen turned back around, cupping her muzzle in both paws, eyes wet. Judy swallowed back her own emotions. She should not have come in here.

Bea sniffed and whimpered out, "Don't apologize. It's not your f- I mean, you are just here doing your job. Not like I haven't been here before." Judy blinked at that. Her job? She wasn't acting in the capacity of her job, this was personal, but before she could correct the vixen, Bea continued with a suddenly raspy voice. "I knew... Somehow I knew this would be how it would go." A tear rolled down her cheek. Her manager leaned in closer behind her, looking very concerned, putting a paw on her shoulder comfortingly. Judy felt that the darker-toned vixen was about to have to work the diner alone for a bit given the level of obvious distress.

The manager whispered tenderly, "Bea, it's okay. I've got this, take all the time you need, go if you need to." The russet lady fox held a couple fingers up to silence her, which might be seen as pretty rude, if it were not for the unfortunate and emotional circumstances.

Bea said in a slow, sorrowful tone, "Bunny, please understand, I don't … have any ill regard for you, but this is a really bad day for me, so don't prance about the subject. You tell me right now… What happened to my son? What happened to Nicky?" Tears rolled down Bea's face freely as she asked that, paws clasped tightly together over her heart.

Judy slowly widened her eyes in utter shock at the vixen with mournful emerald eyes as realization came down over the grey doe like an avalanche. Not Bea. The manager wasn't calling her Bea. She had been calling her ' _V_ '. The lady fox standing before Judy was Vivienne Wilde.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note:**

 _Man, what a chapter that last one was. I had to have rewritten the ending like a half dozen times! It feels like I am getting a good pace for this tale though, and there's more yet to tell! Thank you, everyone who stuck with us long enough to see things start to turn around for the sad little bunny._

 _I am not affiliated with or owned or subconsciously controlled by Disney, though my wife is pretty sure of the latter all the same. As such, these characters, the world of Zootopia, and Gideon's pies (tragically) are not my own. Please enjoy this story all the same._

 **Thanks for the Fox**

Chapter 4: Two Train Tickets and a Sly Bunny

Judy's mind raced, her heart hammering so hard in her chest that she could hear it in her own ears. She moved a paw over it as if to try to keep it from just falling out. No. This wasn't happening. She was misunderstanding the situation. It was as if wishful thinking had been energized by a bolt of lightning. Clarity, she needed clarification.

"You…" Judy shook her head in disbelief and had to start again, "Are you… Vivienne Wilde? Mother of Nicholas Wilde?" she asked a little breathlessly. It was a mistake, it had to be. No mere confluence of chance and her often irritating persistence could possibly have led to _this_ kind of circumstance. It was beyond fantasy. The vixen began to look a little perturbed.

The russet waitress looked back at her manager with a bit of confusion and then to the rabbit before quickly saying, "Yes, I thought I had just established that, please! I… I want to know what happened. Is my Nicky gone? I can't – I just…" Her voice broke with a stressed squeak, the vixen visibly shaking, tears still falling freely. The other part of what was happening finally fell into place for Judy. Vivienne was looking at a police officer from Zootopia who had travelled all the way from the city to talk to her about her son. The most likely reason that this would be happening was to report that her son had…

Judy jerked suddenly with that realization and cried out, "Oh!" She gasped, shaking her head vigorously as she said quickly, "Oh no! No! Nick's fine! He's… He's great! I just…" Judy found that she was shaking too, but not in fear and grief like Vivienne was. She was excited and close to just bursting into tears about this. This was real! The older slightly heavier vixen backed up a little, face scrunched up curiously. She was apparently not exactly following anymore. Vivienne held her dark-toned paws out expectantly as Judy faltered, green eyes peering intently at the bunny. Judy was having trouble expressing the real problem here. She had to tell her the reason she came here, but her mind was spinning in circles trying to figure out how she even ended up in such an insane situation. This entire sudden scenario was beyond her imagination. Wide-eyed, Judy just stared, speechless, at Vivienne. There was so much she had wanted to say and she suddenly couldn't say a thing!

Vivienne became understandably impatient and spoke up. "Is he… In jail? Did he get into some kind of trouble? I mean, better than dead… but I would not think you'd be informing next of kin." She was visibly confused. At least she wasn't crying and shaking anymore. This helped the rather empathetic bunny calm down as well.

Judy finally sucked in a quick breath and tried hard to quickly explain what was happening. "No, Mrs. Wilde, your son is not in jail, he's not in trouble, he's not hurt… He didn't die, _you_ did!" she finally resolutely blurted out. This was so crazy. "I'm here because of _your_ passing, not his," the bunny added plaintively. Vivienne stepped back, eyes round, and looked back to her manager. She put on a sly grin almost identical to the one Judy was so used to seeing on Nick when he was about to get himself into trouble with Bogo. Their resemblance was suddenly uncanny.

"Hey Annie! I died! Can I use a sick day?" The black vixen behind her laughed. Vivienne turned to Judy and rubbed the back of her head a little sheepishly. "I'm sorry, bunny. I shouldn't tease here, but… you have to understand why I am not… taking that statement seriously. What do you mean I _died_?" Judy took another deep breath. With how much Vivienne obviously still cared about her son, this was about to get a whole lot less comical.

The rabbit sat back down on her stool, not even sure when she began standing on it. Her heart was still kicking the hell out of the back of her ribs. What was going to happen? What was she going to do? What was Nick going to do? He could not possibly be mad for her meddling if it meant _this_ , could he? Vivienne gazed at her expectantly.

Judy let out her breath and then spoke up. "Mrs. Wilde…" she began.

"Vivienne's fine. Or Viv. Oh! Or V if you sign my pay checks." She laughed. Annie snapped her fingers a couple of times.

"Damn right!" she barked happily. The mood was far better in the diner from the tragedy that was unfolding a moment ago. That, the bunny felt, was about to change. Judy cleared her throat to get Vivienne's attention again. Once it was secure, the bunny resumed speaking.

The bunny asked carefully, "Can you think… of any reason that your next door neighbor would have told your son that you had died?" The russet fox female furrowed her brow, confused obviously for a few seconds. Then suddenly her eyes widened at the question. Then a horrified expression quickly overtook her, darker paws slapping over her muzzle in shock. This resulted in a look of concern from the other vixen.

"V?" Annie asked cautiously.

The fox waitress spoke in a raspy tone. "Nick… Oh no! No, no, no!" Vivienne held either side of her head. "That wasn't me! That was old Nanna Liska! She… She passed away right there in my apartment. She was having a nap after we'd done some fabric work together!" Judy rubbed her chin. So the mammal that Clarabelle saw being taken from the apartment was not Mrs. Wilde. That made Judy feel better, at least. She had worried for a moment that for some reason the raccoon had cruelly lied to Nick. It was just an unbelievably tragic misunderstanding! The frantic vixen continued. "…Oh, I was _so_ messed up about it… her going like that right on my easy chair - I couldn't go back into the apartment! I just… I mean…" The vixen looked so flustered and anxious now, but Judy did not try to stop her as she explained. "Things were still nuts in the city after the Savage Mammals business and I had a standing offer for a place to stay here with John's sister, if stuff got too bad… and then after the sad business with Nanna… I just took the offer… Had the movers go get my stuff a few days after. I… I didn't realize anyone thought that was me. I didn't even know anyone came out to see what was happening!" Vivienne paced a bit, the scene obviously starting to really unfold for her in her head. "I was so shocked and upset by it, I guess I didn't really go back into the building at all to set anyone straight! Nick… Oh Nick, he really thought I was _dead_? He went back asking for me and they said…" Vivienne took on a look of genuine panic. "Oh this is terrible, bunny!" Tears were welling in her eyes.

Judy spoke up, seeing that Viv understood the depth of what happened. "He went back to see you and thought that he was too late, Viv. He's thought you were gone for over a year. But it's all been a terrible mistake."

Vivienne paced in agitation behind the counter, pulling her ears back as she spoke hastily. "I left without telling him because I wasn't sure how to get in touch with him back then. I figured if he ever came back looking for me and I wasn't there he'd just call but… But I didn't know someone would have told him I _died_! I guess trying to call me then would have been… Oh bunny we have to tell him! We have to fix this!" The vixen manager nodded emphatically, but did not seem so distressed. She had a grin split ear to ear. She was outside of the pain of it all and saw what Judy did. There was a glorious opportunity to put this terrible thing right. This was likely the juiciest drama she'd heard in a long time. It would probably be hotter than anything on the diner's menu by the time the dinner crowd started showing up.

As Vivienne was finally reaching the conclusion that the truth be revealed to the bunny's still-devastated partner, Judy's mind was rolling as fast as it could as she considered what was about to happen to Nick. She could certainly call him then and there and say something like, 'Hey, I was at a diner in New Reynard and your mom's here. Wait, don't hang up the phone! She wants to talk to you.' The thought of trying to do this on the phone, with the kind of emotion behind Nick, the regret he felt, the need to tell his mother she was right about everything… it felt like using the phone was all wrong.

Judy looked up at the almost panting, flustered red fox and said, "Vivienne, I want to take you to him. He wants so much to talk to you, but I don't think this is the kind of talk that you should have from your work on a cell phone." The bunny spoke with an air of authority. She decided, as she spoke, she did not want to take away Nick's right to tell his mother about the changes in his life. This was something he had worked so hard for. He sacrificed for it, and he had every reason to be proud of it. Judy could not steal this conversation away from him despite how very much she wanted to share that happiness.

Vivienne huffed softly and waved a paw at Judy, looking a bit crestfallen. "Honey, I'm working today and tomorrow, I can't just hop a train this minute and run out to the city! And I am absolutely not about to make him wait two more days thinking I'm dead!"

"Go, V." Annie stated solidly with a grin. The red fox female looked incredulously at her manager.

"What?" Vivienne asked meekly.

The dark-toned fox said in a kind tone, "How many years have you waited? I ain't denying you this. No way. You go see him. Be back on Wednesday for the dinner lot. You know Monday and Tuesday's our short nights and I bet Rex is hurtin' for the hours 'cause of his busted transmission. Go!" Annie laughed.

Vivienne took a deep breath as if having just finished a run while standing right where she was. She puffed, "I… I need to go back to my place to get a change of clothes and all, I don't want to go like this. I will be real quick, I promise!" She began to sound extremely excited. "Whatever the bunny would like to eat… just put it on my tab, Annie." She then bolted for the door. "Oh my, oh my, oh my…" Judy watched the vixen's black-tipped tail slip out the closing door as the bell on the inside of it dingled with its closing. The bunny then slowly turned back to Annie before cupping her tiny claws together in praying fashion.

She said pleadingly, "Pleeeeaaassse the steamed vegetable medley!" The dark vixen manager laughed at the desperate tone and called out to the kitchen,

"Eddie, Hot Salad!" She looked back to Judy, smiling, paw on her hip. Her amber eyes were keen and eager.

"So, I gotta ask… If you were looking for Vivienne Wilde to talk to her about her son, but you thought V was dead, what were you gonna talk to her poor departed soul _about_?" she asked. Judy blushed. She wasn't sure what she should say anything so personal to this vixen's boss. She then considered then that Annie had just let Vivienne off work on the spot to allow her go see Nick. Judy asked meekly,

"Has she spoken much about her son?" she wanted to know what Annie already knew. The bunny did not want to air out Nick's past to strangers. The vixen leaned on the counter, thick tail swaying this way and that in a hungry, predatory fashion. Judy was not fazed because she knew that Annie was starving for information. She knew that look well from her sisters. This was gold to her.

The manager spoke casually, "Talkin's about all we get to do in this place, Honey. Don't know much I _couldn't_ answer about the boy. I know he ain't been real great for V, but she loves him to bits no matter what, like a good mother should. I don't know what _you_ know about the lad, but his mom had a good reason to assume he'd be dead or in jail." Judy looked back with slightly wider eyes. Okay, so Annie was very much in the know. The bunny inhaled deeply again, still catching her breath from the emotional and shocking revelation.

"Judy Hopps, by the way," she greeted. They seemed to know who she was, but hadn't spoken a name to go with the Zootopia 'icon' they were talking to.

"Judy then, I'm sorry. I knew we recognized both you, but most mammals around here just say 'bunny cop' when they talked about ya. Not like we can get you confused with all the other bunny cops," she chuckled.

Judy looked down at her little grey paws on the counter as she composed her thoughts, trying to figure out how to say this. She finally stated, "Nick's life has… changed. And he wanted to tell his mother. He wanted so much for her to be proud of him, but when he went to find her she…" Judy felt a tug at her chest even thinking about the reason she was originally here. This tragedy was suddenly just… gone. It had evaporated in an instant and Nick didn't even know yet. He had no idea that everything was about to be okay. He could never even hope for what was about to happen to him, and the intensity of that secret was making it hard for Judy to sit still.

Annie caught on to what Judy was saying and gasped slightly, murmuring, "Oh my goodness, no…" She looked genuinely horrified. "So wait, he tried to fix things and went back and… thought he was _too late_?" she asked incredulously. "That's the sorest tragedy I think I ever heard!" her voice cracked a little. The bunny nodded emphatically.

"Absolutely!" Judy huffed with seriousness. "And then he didn't tell _any_ of his friends or anything. That was over a _year_ ago! He found out just a couple weeks after Viv left Zootopia! Annie, he's been just… letting that _rot_ inside him for so long." Judy forced herself to calm down a little. She had raised her voice at the last part because of how frustrated she was that Nick had emotionally abused himself so long without her even knowing it.

"Oh Judy," Annie murmured, "That boy must have been so scared and ashamed… I can't even imagine."

Judy shook her head to clear it and then said, "He didn't know where to look for her and he really and truly felt like he didn't even deserve to. So it came out finally, and I decided to see if I could find his mom to… You know… Tell her. Tell her he was doing better. I wanted to say that he was going to be okay so she…" Judy looked up, eyes wider, trying to keep tears from obviously spilling and of course failing anyway. The vixen handed her a napkin which the bunny used gratefully. "… So she didn't have to worry on the other side, right? Nick felt so guilty about it that he couldn't face her memory and I wasn't going to leave it like that. I just couldn't." The bunny's breath hitched a little. Judy dabbed her violet eyes a little more and looked up, ears falling back to see Annie looking a little skeptical.

The vixen manager said slowly, "Well, Judy, that's awful sweet of you. But given V's son's… general history… what makes Zootopia's renowned bunny cop drag herself all this way to undertake such a task. In a nearly all-fox settlement at that!" she barked incredulously. Judy looked a moment to the older fox. The bunny didn't have any reason _not_ to explain, she just didn't want it as general gossip.

Judy whispered, despite the diner being empty aside from the two of them and whoever was in the kitchen. "Can you promise you won't tell any of this to Vivienne? At least, not until Nick has a chance to talk to her…" Judy asked. Annie canted her head slightly, looking much more curious.

"I can hold my tongue, sure," she replied frankly.

Judy grinned. "Good. I want Nick to be the one to explain everything to his mother. He deserves that, and she deserves to hear it from him." Judy fished out her phone from her ridiculous-looking bunny-bag and then scrolled through some of the images until she found one of her favorites. It was a selfie she had taken of her and Nick, both in uniform in front of the fountain at the park in front of the ZPD Precinct One headquarters. Their badges, bright in the sun, were both showing in the image. She held up the picture to Annie, who slapped both paws over her muzzle and recoiled as if pushed back by it.

"NO!" she gasped. "You're pulling my tail!"

"He's my partner!" Judy chirped proudly. "I came because I gotta take care of him. I can't watch him suffer and just… do nothing." Annie turned suddenly, moving a paw to her face, obviously trying to get herself under control. Judy hoped it had been okay to tell her. The vixen slid unevenly down onto her knees behind the counter. Judy watched with a little concern as she had not expected her to be _that_ emotional about it. Apparently she and Vivienne were pretty good friends.

Annie cried out, "Oh V… V's gonna be a wreck, she won't believe it!" She sniffled a bit and looked back up. "I won't say anything, Judy, I promise. I can't believe this!" Her voice squeaked a little. "You sure are right, Nick should get to be the one to tell her all of this. And in person too, I agree!" She slowly stood up, napkin her grasp. She probably had it in her pocket for lightning fast spill control. She sighed and then fanned herself a bit. "I can't tell a single other mammal, not just V… If I tell another soul here it would get back to V in an hour. Are you going to call ahead and tell Nick his mom's alive?" she asked, seeming to absolutely feast on the drama. Judy could not blame her. The bunny would be glued to her seat if this were a movie she had been watching.

Judy then widened her eyes at the invitation to actually consider the logistics of telling Nick. "I… I don't know!" she said suddenly. She couldn't just walk through his front door with his mom behind her, that seemed brutally anticlimactic for the weight of this kind of revelation.

"Order up!" The call came from the back. Judy assumed it was another fox working the kitchen. The 'hot salad' smelled wonderful. The vegetables were fresh and there was what appeared to be a balsamic dressing of some kind used sparingly to add a hint of extra zing to everything. Judy let them cool a little as she answered.

"I… guess we could surprise him, show up at the precinct or something. But I don't know exactly how he's gonna react! He might really go to pieces on duty and Chief Bogo would not be real enthused about that. So maybe I could have Viv at his place when he got off work?" Judy said, still mulling it over. Everything was happening so fast, and she didn't want to really shake Nick up too badly with this, but how could she not? She was about to give Nick his mother back!

"I have an idea." Annie grinned. Judy perked up, beginning to munch on her dreamy steamy veggies.

"I'm listening." She mumbled with a mouth full. "These are crazy-good."

"Thank you, dear." Annie stated. "Okay, so I happen to know that V used to fix Nick his favorite meal on his birthday every year, or if he did something really good to celebrate. That's a thing I know a boy can't forget. So, invite Nick over to a home cooked meal. I promise you he ain't about to refuse. So, when he sees that food there, with the meaning it's got, V can be there to help him celebrate an unexpected and happy reunion!"

Annie was obviously, by that point, as excited as Judy was by this. The bunny thought about that a bit. It could work, but they would be cutting it awful close. Nick would likely get home before she could get there, and she didn't have an oven or stove to cook a nice meal at her efficiency apartment. She then put her paws together. Nick had one though, and Judy had a spare key to his apartment on the off chance that he locked himself out or lost his own keys while tussling with some aggressive mammal on duty.

Judy finally answered, "I think I can manage that, yeah! But… we'd need to pick up some groceries when we got back, and we would need time to get it all prepared. I would have to find some way to delay him getting home…" She rubbed her head in frustration. She could call Finnick, but she doubted Nick would feel that compelled to suddenly not go home if the fennec asked him, particularly with everything he had on his mind.

Annie chimed in, "So, see if his boss will hold him late. I bet if you explained, he'd find a reason." Annie said it as easily as if it were in the script. Judy's eyes shot wide open, and she regarded the lady fox in awe.

"Oh, you are _goooood_." She took out her phone again, taking another bite of her cooling medley. "Gimme a sec..." She turned around, as if that gave any privacy. She normally would not call this particular number, but this was an occasion where she could not feel sorry for using it. After a single ring, a deep voice cut in.

"Adrian Bogo, ZPD, how may I be of assistance?" came the gruff, practiced response on the other end of the line.

Judy stated eagerly, "Hi Chief, it's Officer Hopps."

The buffalo paused a moment on his end, then growled, "This is my direct cell line; if you are calling in, please use the HR line, Hopps. Since I don't think you have ever _once_ called off, I can accept this, but in the future…"

He was cut off by the bunny. "It's not that, I need a favor." She grinned.

"A favor?" Bogo asked. The chief might normally have been far angrier, Judy thought, if it were not for how curious he surely had to be.

She explained, "I need you to make Nick stay at work for another… what… three hours. Three should be enough." Judy realized after saying it that it sounded way more ridiculous than it had in her head. It actually was pretty offensive.

Bogo seemed to feel that way too, as he growled, "I would love… for you to tell me, Officer Hopps, why in the _blazes_ I would do that to your partner with all he's going through right now!"

Judy answered promptly. "I want to go to his apartment and create a special home cooked meal for him to cheer him up." She didn't want to risk giving away everything but she began to realize she was going to have to tell Bogo. There was no way that reason was going to be enough. This was so private and personal that she didn't want to involve everyone else in Nick's life, but she might have too in this case.

Bogo snorted. "I'm trying to understand this, Hopps… You are going to enter Wilde's apartment and make him dinner, but I have to make him three hours late? No way. Not gonna happen. Get the little tiny fennec to take him out ugly-shirt-shopping or something." he said bluntly.

"No, that would never work; it's got to be mandatory." Judy said. Yeah, there was no way out of it. She had to tell Bogo and hope he would then understand.

The chief sighed, sounding like he might be well and done with humoring Nick's sentimental bunny partner. He said slowly, "Hopps, I like what you are trying to do, but I'm not making Wilde work three hours overtime for a dinner. Even if it's home made."

"Did I mention his mother will be cooking it?" Judy asked. The line went precariously quiet. A few moments later she heard a smaller, almost meek tone that she had never heard from her boss.

"What?" he asked. Judy smiled at that. She didn't want to tell him everything, but that's really what it took. She felt a hint of pride in dumbfounding her boss.

The bunny said softly, "It's a long story and I can tell you all of it later, but I went to New Reynard and I found Nick's mom. Alive. Her neighbor, the one who told Nick about his mother's passing, made a mistake. It was someone else. Nick's mom moved here to New Reynard. Vivienne Wilde is alive and well. And I am bringing her home for Nick." Judy felt a swelling of joy in saying that.

"Hopps, are you serious? Are you sure? You _can't_ be joking. Not about this…" Bogo half whispered.

"I'm positive, Chief," the bunny offered with confidence as she turned and saw Annie bouncing a little in place. The manager was obviously able to hear both sides of the conversation because of how loud Bogo's voice was on the phone. And she was still eating up the drama.

There was a bit of a pause on the other end before a much happier sounding Chief Bogo spoke again. "Well then… I am about to make Officer Wilde a very grumpy fox at the end of his shift. I will see to his delay personally." Judy actually heard him chuckling as he hung up the phone without saying goodbye. The bunny blushed again, ear's high. She almost never heard the chief laugh about anything. What had started as a somber day was turning into one of the best she could ever remember.

"All set up then?" Annie asked. Her paws were clasped together eagerly. Judy ate a bit more of her food, nodding.

The bunny said, "Right! Gosh, I hope I don't kill my partner doing this." She laughed, pushing a little bushel of broccoli into her mouth. They both laughed some more and Judy reveled in the best spirit she'd been in for days. So often she wanted to fix the things that hurt Nick, his past, the way the city treated him, the way he felt about himself… and finally, _finally_ she was going to get a chance to really help him

.

A little out of breath, Vivienne sat across from Judy on the train. She looked at the small bunny happily. A large green bag rested in her anxious paws on her lap. It presumably contained a change of clothes and some personal effects. They had barely made the train, and the bunny paid for the ticket for Vivienne rather than have her break the bank as it were. Judy was the reason she was going to Zootopia at a moment's notice, after all. The price of a ticket was worth what this was going to mean for her partner.

As she caught her breath, with Judy wistfully watched the trees sliding past, Vivienne spoke. "So… You said you were looking for me to tell me about my son. What about him?" she asked. Judy had considered how much she could tell Nick's mother without spoiling things for him, and she looked at Vivienne and smiled.

"I am going to let Nick tell you most of it, but I will at least say that I was coming to New Reynard to find your memorial, Viv… and just tell you about your son." The vixen jerked a little, perhaps finally understanding that Judy was there to talk to her spirit, not to her, another reminder of how serious this had all been.

"But you say he's okay, right? Nicholas is not in any trouble?" the vixen asked softly. Judy perked up a bit, never having heard someone call him that. It was a stark reminder that this was his mother.

Judy then refocused and nodded with a smile. "I was intending to tell you that Nick's life has _improved_. He has good friends and in a lot better place than he was when you last saw him. I want to leave a lot of the details to him. He would want that, but my mission to New Reynard was about a mother's peace of mind." Judy nodded a bit, thinking that was a good enough response and Vivienne smiled, understanding that just fine.

"Do I need to polish all my 'I told you so's'" she laughed.

"… and probably pick up a few brand new ones!" Judy laughed back. Nick's mom applauded at that, rocking back and forth. She still appeared pretty spry, suggesting that she was rather young when Nick was born. She could see why losing her like that had been such a shock to her best friend. It certainly did not seem like her time.

Vivienne leaned back again and then murmured, "So, at least maybe you can tell me why he's got Zootopia's first bunny cop mixed up in this? I mean… you _have_ to know I am curious about _that_ ," she laughed. "We are going to pick up the stuff to make his favorite meal in _his_ apartment. How are we getting into his apartment, Officer Hopps?" The vixen grinned broadly. "Am I to understand that he's given a young, sweet bunny her very own key?" Judy's eyes shot painfully wide.

"Oh! Oh no, it's not like that. I… We … I mean… Nick and I have been very good friends for over a year… after he helped me with the Nighthowler case!" Judy grinned, her ears scorching as they fell down over her back to hide her obvious blush inside them. Yeah, her having a key to his apartment and searching for his dead mother to make peace with her was honestly pretty intimate. The smug expression resting on his mom's face made Nick's smug look like smug-in-training. Crap.

"Ah… Uh huh…" Vivienne chuckled. Something then appeared to click, and she said, "Wait… I remember – Something mammals were saying after more of the details became common knowledge during Smellwether's trial…" Judy stifled a laugh at hearing the former mayor's nickname living in perpetuity on the tongue of other predators. She would not dare correct her. "A civilian helped you in getting a confession from the former mayor... Something about sabotage and some sly trickery..." Her emerald eyes widened suddenly and she gasped, covering her muzzle again. "You can't mean to tell me that…" She looked at Judy expectantly, apparently unable to even entertain the thought.

"That's right, Viv." Judy felt comfortable enough to use the friendly nickname. "Your son was the fox responsible for helping to bring down the former mayor." Judy felt it was okay to say this, as that's what ultimately linked them as friends. It was the only way the bunny could think of to get the _other_ idea out of his mom's head. She didn't have to go into all the changes he made after. Vivienne taptaptapped both feet excitedly as she clutched her bag close with a happy squeak. She was proud. Bellwether's arrest was a serious and unexpected hurdle cleared for the city and a boon for predators who had watched their future grow more and more uncertain. The vixen sucked in a deep breath.

"All of it. Tell me all of it. It's a long train ride, I have to know everything." Her eyes were so wide and full of excitement. Judy sighed and smiled at her partner's mom.

The bunny said, "I _want_ to explain all of it to you, I really do, but I think Nick is better for this. He was there for all of it. He was with me the entire time, and that's when we became friends. And we've been good friends ever since. That's what brings us to this point." She indicated the train. His mother sighed.

"Alright, so you can't tell me all that, but I am really looking forward to seeing him, bunny cop," she laughed. "So, that said, we know you won't talk about _him_. Tell me about how you became a police officer! That sounds like it's a big story in and of itself!" Judy laughed at that and nodded.

"If you want, sure, I can tell you that. It will take a while." She leaned back and thought about where to begin.

Judy was actually surprised at how much attention the vixen paid to just the bunny telling her about life on a carrot farm with all her brothers and sisters. One of the first questions she asked was how it was physically possible for her to have that many siblings without totally physically destroying her mother. This confused Judy a little until she figured out that Vivienne thought that Judy meant her mother gave birth to 275 bunnies. She laughed loudly at that and shook her paws in front of her dismissively as if erasing a written thought from the air. She explained that because of how communal a nearly completely rabbit-populated town was, all the kits in a specific age group were grouped together as 'siblings'.

Judy's family was considered large on its own, with 18 kits having been the total. If you were a bunny in Bunnyburrow, your brothers and sisters were the mammals you were responsible for looking out for and getting along with. They were closer to what the mammals in Zootopia might call their friends and classmates in a single grade. They went to school together, ate together, and hung out together like a family. It was not the same as a direct, blood-related brother or sister, but the accountability for one another was closer to what one might see with family in Zootopia. Judy had not realized that anyone might have been taking the number of siblings literally because it was so built into the culture where she grew up. She was tickled at the thought. How would her parents have even remembered her name, much less cared if she wanted to be a cop?

Vivienne understood better after her explanation and paid very close attention to the challenges that Judy faced, particularly enjoying her stories about being in the police academy. As they were approaching the station however, her story was interrupted by a call from Nick himself. Judy held up a paw to let his mother know she needed to be super quiet.

"Hey fluff. You are not going to believe this…" The fox sounded very agitated.

"You lost your apartment key again?" Judy offered, just to provide something random.

After a pause, Nick's grumpy voice replied, "No, not that, thankfully. But, the way my day's going I will have you know I immediately checked when you said it," he stated. Judy tried to hold the phone tighter to her ear because she could tell by Vivienne's expression that the vixen could hear her son's voice. Her tail was whipping everywhere in excitement, her feet patting the floor of the train as she clutched her bag hard again. Judy leaned on her own ridiculous bunny-head bag.

"So what's up?" the doe asked.

"Buffalo Butt is making me stay late to help him look for a file. A. File. Fluff, he lost a file and instead of heading home, I am heading to _records_. He will be in there with me for, gosh I don't know, maybe _hours_ helping me look because he already promised our spotted friend he could go home early." Nick sighed, then perhaps realized he was venting and changed the subject, "So, I was thinking about hitting up that place with the rice balls you love, and the loud pop music… What was it? Panda Panic?" He laughed. The sound of Nick's laugh hit his mother harder, and she cupped her muzzle.

Judy laughed back, "Panda Picnic, Nick! Actually, since Bogo's got you stuck there, I'm gonna go to your place and make something for you. Then we can watch a movie or goof off, I'm almost back in Zootopia." There was a pause, and Judy felt maybe Nick knew something had to be up.

"You don't have to do all that, Judy." His serious tone was back. Oh yes, that's right. Self-loathing fox was self-loathing.

Judy spoke with a hint of scolding in her voice, "Nope, it was already intended, no wiggling free. You are coming home to hot food and annoyingly energetic bunny company, and there's no getting out of it!" She grinned.

Nick sighed very audibly on the phone. "I might normally put up more of a fight on this, rabbit, except I am starving already and will be honestly too tired to make anything or go anywhere by the time I get home, so I will… see you in a few hours. I'll message you when I know when I'm gonna be leaving work." he said. His voice sounded less irritated given the promise of food and company to come home to. That tone made Judy feel better about her sudden intrusion.

She replied sunnily, "I will keep an ear out for my phone. I think you will like what I have in mind." She made it obvious she was not going to tell him what it was by the teasing lilt of her voice.

"Lemon honey carrots?" he asked. Judy knew he liked those, he filched one every time she brought them for lunch.

The bunny clicked her tongue. "No. And no guessing! You will see when you get home." She laughed, "See you soon." He said goodbye and headed for the records room as he hung up the phone. Judy was actually touched that Bogo was personally holding Nick there for her. She would message Bogo when she felt they were ready for him to head home. It was starting to come together nicely. She was shaken from her thoughts by a high pitched excited squeak from the vixen across from her.

"He will message you when he is leaving work?!" she cried out. "Nicky has an actual _job_?!" She drummed both her feet on the floor again, wiggling like a child who just could not sit still. Judy had to laugh at the image. It suddenly burned in her ears that she wasn't just helping Nick. By finding Vivienne she was bringing his mother some highly unexpected happiness too.

Judy sighed softly, "That was part of the thing I was gonna let him tell you, but I guess you were bound to figure that out by his just not being home." The train pulled into the station.

Vivienne gripped her back and grinned at the bunny. "What does he do?" she asked, and then shook her head. "Nope! Nope, I will let him tell me, thank you so much Judy!" she barked happily. "Where to now?" She wrung her paws excitedly. Judy smiled brightly at that. Vivienne was having fun. She radiated a positive energy that Judy could appreciate. A little shock ran through her as she realized that Nick's mom acted a lot like the bunny herself did. Was that why Nick was able to open up to her so quickly when they met? Was that why he could be so comfortable around her, even then?

She shook the thought away and stated, "We head to the grocery, there's one near his apartment." She offered. "Do you know all the stuff you need to get for it?" she asked.

"Yes." The vixen stated this confidently. "And any grocery should have what we need. Judy, I know this meal is not really your kind of thing, so if you don't want to be involved making it, just put me in his kitchen and I'll get it put together-…"

Judy interrupted the vixen. "Tut-tut-tut!" She shook a finger as they got their bags and headed off the train. "You are hours away, if Nick's been especially helpful and I think his favorite dish is in order, I should know how it's made!" The vixen appeared to actually blush at that but it was pretty hard to tell with red fur. Judy worried suddenly that she had overstepped her bounds. Was it something only his mom was allowed to do? Fortunately, her features warmed a bit.

"That's so sweet of you Judy, but are you sure? I mean, with what it is?" she asked. "I feel strange asking a bunny to make that…"

Judy laughed. "I don't have to eat it, just know how to make it!" Vivienne nodded and followed her out of the station with a bright smile. This promised to be a wonderful evening!


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note:**

 _The last chapter felt a bit like fluff, I am sure, but I wanted a chance to develop Vivienne a little more before we got back to Zootopia. I feel like this story arc will likely wrap up with chapter six, the pace still feels pretty good for a shorter work of fiction. This has been a lot of fun!_

 _Nick, Judy, Zootopia, some of my hopes and dreams and my left ulna are owned by Disney. Gonna be an uncomfortable topic of conversation at my wake. Anyway, I don't own the characters; I just got to enjoy writing about them for fun and relaxation. Enjoy the tale!_

 **Thanks for the Fox**

Chapter 5: Candied Walnut Shrimp and a Surprise

The local grocery was fortunately not very busy. Monday nights often tended to be heavier traffic in that part of town, Judy had found. She had not gone grocery shopping with another mammal since leaving Bunnyburrow, and actually really enjoyed Vivienne's company. The vixen felt like family for how relaxed she was around the bunny. At least, the experience felt like shopping with her family. She knew what they were coming to get after talking with Vivienne for a bit during the walk to the market. She was not enthused about what it was, but it was not that much of a surprise. Nick loved eating fruit and veggies just fine, but a little bit of extra protein in his diet was necessary for him too. She just wished it was not what the bunny referred to as glorified water filters. She looked at the wrapped package of small shrimp that Vivienne put in her basket with distrust, as if they were going to sneak into her mouth in her sleep.

Vivienne spoke up cheerily, "I stand by what I said. I can fix 'em if you want, and you don't have to deal with that part." The vixen laughed as Judy gave the dead sea-bugs the stink-eye. The doe snapped out of it and chuckled at that, having not realized that she was being so obvious about her feelings toward the food.

Judy said softly, "No, he's worth suffering my distaste for this culinary experience. I can certainly help prepare the honeydew and the crushed walnuts. I've never candied them before, so you might need to show me about that." She followed along, watching the tail of the older vixen sway in front of her. It was similar to her partner's, though Vivienne's was almost unnaturally full and long. That was, Judy had found from Nick, considered attractive to foxes. Knowing that his mom was all alone made Judy kind of sad, but she knew from the media that foxes rarely took a mate again if they lost one. For how sad that was, Judy was glad to see that Vivienne did not seem particularly unhappy. Of course, she _was_ getting a big part of her happiness back. Judy had to consider then that maybe this was not so typical for Vivienne's mood. She hoped it could be, going forward. Nick's mom had been so sweet and deserved to be happy, the bunny thought.

Judy helped collect the rest of the items as swiftly as possible, not wanting to run out of time to make Nick's meal. It sounded more and more complex as the vixen described how to make it. Judy was not a phenomenal cook since all her effort went into learning the ins and outs of law enforcement. They were making candied walnut shrimp with sliced melon and a sweet butter sauce glaze. It was the kind of thing that Judy would expect to see done on one of those crazy cooking shows her mom loved. She hoped she could learn to make it, but felt like she would need to pester Viv for written instructions or something.

As the pair reached the checkout line, Judy engrossed herself in sending an update text to Bogo so he'd know they were likely to be finished making dinner in about an hour and twenty minutes. She wanted to plan his releasing Nick in about an hour. Bogo responded back with a simple " : } " emoticon that made Judy actually shake to hold back her laughter. It was not the kind of thing she expected from the hardened buffalo. Because of the attention she was giving that exchange, she almost missed the one between Vivienne and the cashier. Working the register was a middle-aged, black and white male goat with long dark horns. As he spoke with Vivienne Judy's ears perked because the conversation was very much unlike the usual checkout-line babble she was used to when shopping.

"…need you to empty out your bag there, please. C'mon, we don't want to hold up the line." Judy initially looked up with a start because it sounded like the vixen was actually getting robbed, but that wasn't the case. The goat calmly took a sip of a newly opened cola, having a little break as he publicly violated Nick's mother's basic dignity. Vivienne put her receipt in her pocket because of course this came after she already paid and could not just leave her groceries there as a show of disgust for the treatment. She put her bag on the counter and opened it. Judy's teeth gritted slowly tighter and tighter with silent rage as the well-dressed and polite vixen quietly and dutifully took out a neatly folded blouse, a pressed and folded pair of dark slacks, a little bottle of musk-specialized fur shampoo… she'd have kept going except Judy loudly interrupted.

"What the _Hell_?" The goat looked at her curiously, perhaps not realizing the two were even together. After all, she was a bunny, and that was a fox.

"It's standard procedure, ma'am." The goat bleated officially. "I promise, it won't take long and we will get right to you." He actually thought Judy was mad because this was delaying her, not because Vivienne was being treated like a criminal. He continued to explain, "It's part of our shrink-reduction program. Random baggage check. There's a sign about it at the entrance." He hooked a little keratin plated thumb at the unassuming white bit of paper posted at the entrance on the glass.

The bunny narrowed her eyes, actually bristling. "Odd…" she growled, holding up her silly bunny-bag. "In all my years, I never had _my_ bag checked. I wonder why that would be." She stroked her long ears to indicate her being a rabbit. Judy knew about it. She knew that it happened out there, Nick had told her about it. Judy figured it likely happened to the sort of foxes who went through the checkout lines wearing thick jackets in summer or something. That alone was still pretty unfair but had some basis in logical thinking. But here she watched it happen to an older, nicely-dressed, kind vixen in her fifties? It was a complete outrage.

Vivienne spoke up softly, "Judy, it's alright, this is normal, I pay, they check, and then we head out. A lot of places do this." The lady fox looked very uncomfortable and that was the only reason that Judy decided not to immediately have a manager brought over so she could make her complaint about this 'policy' formal. Vivienne obviously did not want to make a scene and Judy decided to respect that, crossing her arms and grumbling.

However, that ball was already set into motion. "Wait, Judy… Like Judy Hopps?" came a voice off to the side. A sheep clacked over, hard hooves on tile floor sounding his approach. The bunny looked up at his yellow name tag.

The bunny glared and spoke. "Yes, Manager… Luke?" Both goat and sheep looked mortified about a publicly negative-sounding interaction with a 'celebrity' in their checkout line. The manager led Judy over to the end of the check-out counter where the bagging usually took place and motioned the goat over to them. They leaned closer so their conversation was more private.

"Look, I know what this is about. I know about how crap went down, I assure you, the bag check is not because she's a fox, it's because she has a large bag." He darted his eyes to the floor as he said it. Judy frowned. Nick had taught her some interesting things on their first day patrolling together about reading other mammals. That was definitely a 'tell'. It meant the sheep was telling a lie. However, she knew there was little she could do about that but stop being a patron here. The 'random' search was all legal and hard to prove it targeted predators, but she was still furious.

Judy decided to make her point, even more irritated about being lied to. She said coldly, "There was an assault committed about a mile from here about a week ago, Manager Luke. What time do you get off work? What direction do you go when you go home?" He recoiled.

"What are you even talking about?" he asked.

"How do I know you are _not_ part of some crime committed nearby unless I institute a policy of randomly questioning mammals who have some specific thing in common, like… all living in this general area? I should randomly detain mammals once in a while just in case, right? Do you have an alibi? If you don't have proof that you didn't commit the assault, maybe it's necessary that I take you in for further questioning, Manager Luke. I just don't know, maybe you aren't even really the manager of…" She looked at a bag to make her point of the lack of importance, "Your 'Friendly' Ewemart Grocers. I'll never know unless I thoroughly check." She could see Vivienne watching curiously, her eyes round from the bunny's apparently carefully thought out argument.

"Preposterous, you can't justify that in court, you'd get fired." The sheep said haughtily.

"Why not?" Judy asked loudly. The sheep tried to wave her voice down, looking very uncomfortable.

"Because it's just… Wrong." He hissed, crossing his arms, glaring at Judy. The goat, in a show of support for his manager, did the same, perhaps unintentionally boxing her in at the counter. Some of the other mammals around them looked away, not wanting any part of this. The pair leaned down a bit, looking over the bunny threateningly. That burned her fuse lower. She was not going to be intimidated when she knew was right. She remembered Nick's feelings about the long game but surely he would want to say something about his mother being treated like this.

She spoke only louder, "What, wrong like assuming that anyone with a bag must be a crook? You think this is even still about pred/prey? How many of your _male_ customers have to submit to this abandonment of their basic dignity? Why not just post a sign stating no large bags? I'm not going to tell you how to run your store. That's not my job. You are right, I can't possibly detain you for being a sheep a certain distance from a crime scene, or a male, or being named Luke, but I have no problem telling you this: Even if you truly believe that your policy is justified, I know darn well it's not actually random. You _know_ you aren't fixing your 'shrink' problem. You are actively shifting money out of your store in the form of unwelcomed customers. Don't for a minute think I believe it's about _your profit margin_!" Judy turned to her new vulpine friend. "Viv, put your stuff back in your bag." Vivienne, eyes wide, did as she was told. Judy looked back to the speechless sheep and goat. "Yes, you are currently on the right side of the law, but you are on the wrong side of this community, this city, and history."

"We have the right to search her bag, and now yours." The manager stated firmly.

"What is your recourse if I refuse to empty my bag?" Judy asked.

"We call the police." Luke grumped.

The bunny grinned at that. "I will wait here then. But while you are waiting, you will need to provide proof to the investigating officers that you've made everyone here empty their bags." She nodded to the other registers, lines having gotten backed up because the attention was on her.

"I won't do that, they aren't even suspected of anything," Luke growled.

"Right. Because they weren't a fox and they didn't make you mad. You know that if you forced all of them to endure this insulting degradation they'd not likely shop here again. You still want their business, so you won't search them. You will search the ones you don't like so they are less likely to come back. It's not random." There was a murmuring from the other lines and much of it sounded supportive of Judy. The bunny turned away. They didn't have time for this.

Suspecting that the conversation, awkward as it was, was wrapping up, the manager merely waved a paw dismissively. "Just go then, whatever. Say what you will, but we do it randomly and there's nothing wrong with protecting our bottom line, that's what merchants do. We're here to make money and we don't make it if we are being robbed blind by mammals who obviously never earned an honest dime in their lives," he said gruffly. Two other customers booed the manager loudly in one of the other lines. The comment was taken in offense in their case, but Judy didn't notice who booed.

The bunny frowned at the comment herself, tensing up a bit. There was so much more she wanted to say, but she got the feeling neither Nick nor Vivienne would want her to say those things. There was no convincing this mammal and any further discussion would just waste time that should be dedicated to the happiness of her partner and his mother. Judy just grumpily sacked their own groceries as the goat backed away with apparent uneasiness. She then hastily walked toward the exit with Vivienne quietly following.

Just before reaching the door the grey doe turned on her heel to say that she would not shop at the store again, and would ensure her friends did not either. It was the only power she really had in that situation so she intended to use it. But, as she turned she was treated to the sight of a caramel-toned geyser of foaming soda erupting violently from the goat cashier's nearly-full drink. It gushed all over him with a loud ' _ppssssshhhth_ ', cascading its freezing cold contents down over the goat, the manager, the register and counter in spectacular fashion. Both mammals cried out in panic, and the goat suddenly went rigid and fell right over. This fainting was a carry-over panic-response for his species. He pulled with him a full wire-metal rack which sent a stand with about a hundred small bags of potato chips onto its side with a loud crash. Laughter erupted around the startled pair from other workers and customers alike at the comical disaster.

Judy cupped her small muzzle in her grey paws and stared up at Vivienne. The kind and polite vixen wore a very Nick-esque smug expression. She had a grin nearly back to her ears and her eyes were half-closed in casual pride as she padded cheerfully through the automatic doors without even looking back at the chaos and roaring laughter in her wake.

Judy wiggled her nose a bit subconsciously as she watched the vixen tumble the little shrimp around in the pan. They didn't smell as fishy as she thought they were going to which made her feel a little bit better about possibly making them for Nick. However, she was still very squeamish about how they _looked_ , and for the longest time she could place exactly why. They were just tiny light pink little things, curled like little commas, fleshy and naked. The realization hit her suddenly, and she felt absolutely no better when she understood. They looked a tiny bit, just the barest resemblance, like baby bunnies before their fur came in.

Sure, it wasn't like they really _looked_ like baby bunnies, they were barely more than little shapes in the pan, but the pale pink naked forms made her realize _that_ was what her mind was clinging to, making her uncomfortable with them. She opted _not_ to bring up the comparison to the fox mother who was humming some happy tune as she dusted the seasoning on them and turned her attention to the small honeydew melon they had picked up. She asked Judy to cube it and keep away from the rinds. She was to use only the sweetest part. As Judy worked on this task and thankfully pulled her attention away from the work being done on the stove, she helped herself to some of the remaining melon, rind and all. She grinned, her mind going back to something less discomforting during this distraction.

Judy said casually, "You know… Nick would be really proud of you for what you did at the grocery." The doe smiled broadly at the memory. Judy and the vixen had laughed themselves into coughing fits as they walked home with their bags. They had said little else about it after their laugh however, as the discussion had focused instead on what kind of apartment her son lived in. Was it big? Was it safe? Did it have an extra room or would his mother be flopping onto a bachelor couch for the night? Judy could not help but laugh again as the imagery of what Nick's mother had done came back to her. The bunny hadn't even seen her shake the drink! Nick's mother wore a slightly anxious expression however, still grinning all the same.

Vivienne shook her head a little, saying, "Please, Judy, _please_ do not tell my son I did that. I never do that, I don't know what came over me. They were trying to intimidate you and that made me so… I mean, there's no way either of us are allowed back in there like… ever." She shook her head and sighed. "Well, it's done. And happier things inbound, right? Forget them, this is a good night!" She popped a little shrimp into her mouth and nodded, seeming happy with the taste and the level of cooking. She put the burner on very low.

The bunny replied with a smile, "Don't worry, I will not say a thing to him, but I think you should know… he's more like you than you probably want to admit." Judy smirked at his mom.

Vivienne looked up curiously as she covered the pan with a lid. "Old Nick or new Nick?" she asked, mixing the brown sugar and butter for the walnuts in a separate bowl.

"Real Nick." Judy said with a very confident tone. His mother paused a moment, and Judy could not quite read the expression. It was excited, puzzled, and cautious, like someone waiting to go down a very big water slide for the first time. The vixen went back to mixing the food. As she did, Judy noticed a picture out of the corner of her eye sitting on the couch-side table.

It was of Nick at graduation. The bunny gasped quietly and moved swiftly over to it, trying to not make it obvious what she was doing. She carefully put it face down, not wanting that to give anything away. She then saw another picture on a book shelf of the fox and bunny in uniform doing a training exercise where he and Judy were actually thrown by a bear up to a second story window. The image immortalized there was of Judy not enjoying being thrown whilst in midair, her face contorted in a mix fear and indignity. Judy gritted her teeth, unable to believe he had the picture in the first place, much less that had it there to look at all the time. Her partner could be such an insufferable goof sometimes.

She turned that one around as well. The bunny then looked around for more evidence, eventually putting away a commemorative plaque that was on another book shelf, but seeing no other evidence. She came back to the little dining area, making sure there was not any evidence in there. Fortunately, she had wanted to let Nick actually give a tour of the apartment if he liked, so his mother had not really been shown much of the apartment. He kept a tidy place but the bunny would not want Nick to think his mom saw a potentially rude screen saver on his laptop or a book or some other thing he might think was objectionable. It was better to let him control the tour. Viv only went as far as the kitchen and the bathroom.

Judy's phone pinged, causing the bunny to take it out of her pocket to address it.

"Nick?" asked his mother. Judy checked and nodded.

"Yep, he'll be here in ten." The bunny skipped into the kitchen. "How are we on time?" she asked. She could probably stall him outside a couple more minutes if she needed to.

"We are done, actually," Vivienne stated a little breathlessly, "I'm plating it now. It will keep warm enough if he's that close, I think." She then took a moment and held up a paw, level to her eyes. It was shaking a little. "Look at me. It's my own son, I feel like I'm on a spy mission," she laughed. "Nicholas would laugh at me so hard right now." She patted herself down, taking off the 'Kiss the Fox' apron that Nick had. She hung it up on the back of the pantry door where Judy had found it. She then placed the food on the table.

Judy grinned to Nick's mother. "So, we are ready then. Like we talked about, yes? When he comes in, you stand outside the kitchen, kind of in the laundry room. There's not a light in there, but that doesn't matter to a fox, I guess…" Vivienne nodded to the bunny, smiling.

Viv held up a paw again, getting the bunny's attention. "Judy. Before we start… I know Nicholas… does not like to show emotion, so if he acts completely smug and calm, or just seems embarrassed or something after the initial surprise…" She looked anxious as she spoke. She was obviously concerned that Judy might be disappointed in the reaction his caring friend was after.

The bunny grinned broadly. "Oh no, I understand, Viv. Nick's whole motto of 'never let them see they get to you' is one I know all _too_ well. I can be a very emotional bunny so there's a stark contrast between us. However, I absolutely know what this means to him." She took Vivienne's larger paws soothingly. "When it finally came out that he thought you had passed, he showed plenty of emotion. He may usually hide it, but I promise you… This _will_ get to him." Judy then tensed up a bit. Would he cry? She had actually looked away when she thought he had been crying in Bogo's office. Could she watch him now? She sucked in a deep breath. If he cried, it would be out of happiness and she would not look away. She wanted to see his face.

She heard the sound of a key pushing against the door lock and then falling on the hardwood floor in the hallway. There was grumbling, then fumbling, and then pushing the key into the lock again. Vivienne visibly spazzed a little and Judy shooed her into the laundry room before Nick could open the door. He had fumbled with the lock a bit, which made it obvious he was really tired. Judy moved in front of the entrance to the dining area. Nick opened the door to the apartment and walked in. Like usual, he had changed out of his uniform back into one of his Pawaiian print shirts. It was the one he was wearing when she met him, appropriately enough. At least it was close enough in style and color she could not tell the difference. Judy smiled from the doorway of the dining room which led into his cozy living room area.

Nick sighed heavily, "I got out a little sooner than the three hour mark, but I am beat!" He put his keys on the end table by the couch and his shoulder bag on the couch itself. He splayed his ears with apparent irritation and put his picture back up where it had been turned face down beside where he'd dropped his keys. He did not really seem to care why it had fallen over. He fortunately didn't do a check of his apartment for anything else missing or changed. He didn't have long to ponder it though, as he saw a smiling bunny by the kitchen. He grumbled, "Buffalo Butt actually helped me look through hundreds of files _himself_ before going 'Oh no.' and running off suddenly. He then called my phone and told me it was on his desk the _whole_ time! He forgot that Clawhauser had brought him a stack of files that morning. He told me I could leave early… sometime this… week…." As he approached, his voice began slowing down while his nose began to quiver. "I guess he's still feeling… generous… after…" Nick's eyes were extremely wide, his green irises lost in pools of white. He had to recognize the smell, given his expression.

Judy smiled casually at him and said, "I told you he actually cares under that mean old boss exterior." Judy said. Nick stared hard at her. There were no words for a moment.

Finally, her partner spoke in a slow and wary tone. "What am I… smelling, Fluff?" he asked. She continued to smile, looking calm and happy.

Judy said in a casual tone, "Dinner! I told you dinner would be ready for you when you got home." She kept her ears perked up proud and tall, but also further blocking his view into the dining room. Nick didn't say another word, he just reached out and placed his warm, strong paws on both of Judy's upper arms and simply picked her up. He turned with her and placed her where he had been in the living room, and walked into the kitchen, looking down onto the table. He was perfectly statue-still, arms limply down by his sides as if his those limbs were dead. Judy walked into the kitchen after him, smiling.

Her partner spoke again. He was stammering, which was something she rarely ever heard Nick do. "Judy, what… What is… Why… How did you…" His expression was hard for the bunny to really fathom as she walked around him to the other side of the table. He looked so conflicted.

Judy answered by chiming brightly, "I think this is _exactly_ what you've needed." Nick brought both paws to his face and rubbed them all the way down. He then slowly went over to Judy's side of the table and pulled a chair out and sat down in it. He carefully put his darker-toned paws out and took her smaller ones into them. She sucked in a breath, worried a moment. She could not read him at all. He looked at the bunny's violet eyes, those emeralds gleaming as he seemed to peer into her heart and mind.

With a heavy serving of exasperation in his voice, Nick stated, "Judy... You _cannot_ have known about this… _this_ …" He indicated the food. "What… did you do?" The tone was accusatory as his eyes stayed wide, alarmed.

"I got help." Judy stated bluntly. She was still smiling. Nick was not. He looked like he was barely restraining himself from completely freaking out. Fortunately he was following the very lose 'script' that the bunny and his mother had mashed together. It was close enough that they were not going to have to bounce him around much longer. Judy and Vivienne both knew Nick well enough to guess he'd know the bunny could not have figured that dish out on her own. Nick took a deep, shaky breath, appearing to realize something. Probably that she got help in New Reynard, and after he had praised the bunny for not digging into his business and being annoying. Judy waited for it.

Nick spoke in a slow and even tone, as if he were not actually saying the words but slowly bleeding them out. "Who, Judy? Who in the whole of Zootopia or anywhere else helped you with _that_?" he indicated the untouched food again. Judy smiled.

A kind voice was heard from behind the seated fox.

"I did."

Judy looked beyond Nick where his mother stood in the kitchen where she had not been before. She had exited the laundry room quietly as he had started to interrogate the bunny. Nick's eyes shot wide open at the sound of her voice, staring at Judy, his pupils dilated almost completely in those emerald irises. They were now just thin jade rings around pools of black as he froze. He held perfectly still for a moment, only his paws barely shaking. That was only perceptible because they were still holding Judy's fingertips. He then slowly turned his head and his shoulders. The motion reminded the bunny of what she might see right before some unlucky sap bought it in a horror movie.

Nick's green eyes fixed on his mother, standing there. She was dressed nicely, perfectly alive and well. Her arms were down at her sides and she wore a warm smile on her face. She had told Judy she wanted to make sure she did not seem scornful when he first saw her and she was right. The bunny knew he needed to see her smile.

Time seemed to freeze. Nick actually looked like he stopped functioning entirely for long enough that Judy began to worry. He then let go of the bunny's small paws rather suddenly and leapt out of his chair so quickly it toppled backward with a loud clatter on the dining room's tile floor. Judy could not put a label on the short little squall Nick made but he traversed the dining room in a single fluid motion so fast she could barely figure out which muscles were used to accomplish it. And then he was in his mother's arms. For a brief moment it was quiet again, foxes embracing, eyes closed, time seeming to stand still as if this were a painting. Abruptly, a shuddering, baying sob rose from her as both foxes went to their knees on the floor. Nick's legs suddenly stopped working, and his mother was too surprised by that to hold him up. Judy cupped her muzzle as Nick held the vixen achingly tight and loudly, shamelessly sobbed.

The expression on Vivienne's face was one of utter shock initially, as she looked at Judy over Nick's shoulder, and then she grimaced with the flood of emotions before pushing her cheek to his and letting the sobbing consume her as well. The two held one another for a long time, coughing, sputtering, and shaking. Judy found that there was only one emotional war she could hope to win, and that was that she only cried _quietly_ during this. There was no way to prevent tears while seeing it, especially with how surprised Vivienne had been with her son's reaction. She was seeing what Judy had fleetingly advertised. It was the real Nick. There was no wall for the moment, and they had their emotions out in loud, raw abandon.

Nick finally began to get his shock under control, his disbelief smothered in the arms of his mother. The reality of the moment perhaps began creeping in on this surreal explosion of joy on his dining room floor. Finally, the first intelligible words he could form came rolling out.

He whimpered, "I was wrong… my whole life. You did _everything_ to show me your heart, the things you wanted to share, all the parts of life you wanted me to love and I closed my eyes. Or I looked away. Maybe I even pretended it wasn't real." Judy held her breath a moment as how uncharacteristically desperate Nick sounded. It was as if he expected this chance was only going to last a few moments before the universe somehow snatched Vivienne away from him again. "I'm so sorry, mom! I spit on everything you gave me and acted like _you_ were the misguided one and I… I can't believe how stupid I was!" he cried out. Tears still streaming, he'd leaned back to look his mother in the face as he said that to her. Their faces matted with tears, noses wet, the two foxes embraced again. Judy choked sown a sob and picked up the chair nick had knocked over, sitting down in it. She knew she could probably leave them to the conversation since it was deeply personal, but it was nothing Judy didn't already know and she wanted to burn this moment into her heart. This moment was everything she needed from this.

Vivienne sniffled and finally spoke up herself, "Nick… Nicky, it's okay, I knew you would eventually understand, I… I hoped! But it just wasn't something I could say louder than what the city was constantly roaring back at you." She wiped her face a bit. Nick leaned back again, his own face deeply pained.

"What _happened_ , mom? Where were you, I thought you were…" He appeared unwilling to even say it right then. "Your neighbor said-…"

He was cut off as his mother shook her head. "No, Nick, it was Nanna! Remember old Nanna Liska, from Beech Street? She passed away in my apartment after we did some hobby work together. The neighbor thought it was me being taken out and… because it upset me so bad… I never went back to the apartment, I just… moved away." she stated sadly. Nick looked a little blank at first, and then nodded as it seemed he remembered who she was talking about. It was obviously a mammal from a long time ago for him.

Nick looked to his mother again and sniffled, asking, "Where did you move to? I can't believe I didn't bump into you, I've not exactly been hiding!" He wiped his cheeks and got himself a little more under control as he asked this.

Vivienne said softly, "I moved to New Reynard, sweetie. I had friends and family there and things were so crazy here after the savage mammal crisis, I decided to just… bug out. I didn't change my phone number or anything since I figured you would call me if you came looking for me. I had no idea someone would tell you I _died_!" she obviously felt awful for that, and Nick hugged her again, this time to comfort her.

"It's okay, oh Mom, it was all a big mistake, I'm _glad_ it was, I thought you were really and truly gone! I am just so glad you aren't! I… I…" He trailed off. "Wait, did you say New Reynard?" he asked.

His mother nodded. "Yes, Sweetie. Your father's family's from there. You've been there before when you were little." Nick held his mother close, not letting go, but Judy watched as his eyes locked on her. He looked utterly shaken for a moment.

He spoke in a wavering tone, "Judy came and found you?" His wide eyes were glued to the rabbit. The bunny nodded to Nick, feeling a little worried since this was the part where he would realize she didn't just let it go like he wanted. Was he going to be mad at her for it? She would not blame him if he was, but the expression was not irritation. It looked like… fear. What was _that_ about? He was shaken from his expression as his mother pushed her cheek against his, the push an obvious marking of mother's scent to a lost kit, and he just hugged her again and then leaned back once more as Vivienne spoke.

"She came looking for me, yes Nicholas." She explained. "And I came _right_ away. I'm so sorry you had to go through all of this… and for so long! But I promise, everything will be all right." Judy's partner stood shakily, and then spotted his food on the table. His expression shifted to hysterical enthusiasm as he appeared to reconnect to two things. He had been starving, and his favorite meal ever was getting cold on the dining room table.

He sat down immediately in front of it and moaned out, "Oh mah gah-awwm." He snatched a fork full of it and pushed a heaping portion into his mouth as he gave his plate his full attention. While the moment was not accompanied by more sobbing, there were definitely tears in his eyes.

"Take your time, Nick, they aren't going anywhere!" his mother laughed, finally managing to dry her own eyes.

Nick said in a squeaky voice around a mouthful, "I missed them so much!" Judy would have laughed except watching him cram those pudgy curled up little shrimp into his muzzle full of teeth stuck at something in her primal core and she was a little uncomfortable seeing it. While she had watched Nick's emotional firestorm from start to finish, she turned to give his mother her full attention while her partner ate his lovingly prepared food. Judy felt a little self-conscious that it even bothered her. It shouldn't. He was a fox. He should get to enjoy that. Vivienne was quiet for a bit, just appreciating the enjoyment of the meal they had prepared together. Her expression was one of motherly contentment. That thick vulpine tail swayed hypnotically side to side so slowly. Judy endured for as long as she could the gnashing and squishing and popping of helpless little sea grubs before she sucked in a deep breath and just had to speak to make _some_ other sound.

"I will let Nick tell you about some of the very important changes in his life since last you saw him." She felt selfish about it but she needed a break. To that end she gave the foxes something to talk about so the sound of flesh being ground between Nick's teeth would be interrupted by something that didn't send a chill down her spine. She wished her ears were not so sensitive. She knew that Nick almost never consumed anything that she would not herself when she was with him, and was suddenly acutely aware of how considerate that had been. Maybe she could eventually get used to it, but she didn't want to say anything about it right then and ruin such a special moment. She grinned meekly at the older fox. Vivienne nodded emphatically at Nick and he swallowed down some of his very deeply appreciated repast.

"Oh! Oh Mom, you have no… She didn't tell you anything?!" he asked incredulously. Judy crossed her arms, feeling safe to look back at her partner. She was shocked to see the plate was two thirds empty and most of what remained was melon and walnut. It had been barely five minutes! Judy shook away the shock from her expression and grinned at her partner proudly.

Vivienne chimed brightly, "Nope! So out with it, son! What have you been doing? You have a nice apartment I see, that's a good start!" The vixen motioned to what she had seen so far. It was small and cozy, but looked nice and was maturely kept. Nick blinked a bit, silent just a moment before speaking again.

He gaped at that and said, "Wait, really? You two rode out here from New Reynard and she didn't tell you _anything_? Wow, Carrots, I'm impressed!" Nick laughed at that.

Judy laughed at Nick and returned, "Hey! I would not dare deprive you of the chance to talk to your mom about this!" She didn't get to add anything as they were interrupted.

 _WHOP!_

The unexpected sound accompanied the sudden impact of Vivienne's flat palm against the back of Nick's skull.

 _"_ _Don't call her that!"_ cried the shocked vixen.

Nick cried out, "Ow, geeze, Mom!" He rubbed the back of his head. Judy cringed too. It sounded like his mother just flattened half the fifth grade inside her partner's poor head.

Judy tried to dispel the exasperation in the older vulpine, saying quickly, "No, it's okay, Viv, it's just a playful nickname, I call him Slick, so it goes both ways! We're really good friends and my family _really_ is a bunch of carrot farmers." The bunny rambled a bit.

Nick cut in, his tone serious, "No, it's okay! Alright Mom, I will _try_ to call her that less – for you! But it's a habit now. Been like that a while. We were not exactly friends at first, but heck, we trust one another with our lives now! It's not like I don't respect her, there's not a mammal in this entire city I could have _more_ respect for." Vivienne's eyes widened at that, and she rubbed the back of her own head softly, seeming to contemplate that as she stood there. Nick got up and walked over to her.

Vivienne looked up at her son curiously and said, "Nick, it sounds like you and Judy are really close. I don't think I can name anyone that you would have said you trusted with your _life_. You really, _really_ have changed a lot… what happened?" Judy's ears were torches, and she dropped them down her back hard. Vivienne already seemed to think that the bunny was too close to her son, and Nick's compliments were both heartfelt and beyond Judy's expectations from him. Her cheeks blazed as she stammered to try to interject, but Nick led his mother over to the couch.

"Yeah, a lot's happened Mom. If Judy didn't tell you then you have no idea. Come, sit, sit, sit." He brought her over and had the vixen plop down comfortably on his neat, clean couch. He then opened his shoulder bag, rummaging in it for a moment. Judy's heart raced. She knew what Nick was after. She stood closer to watch. Nick then brought out a folded, pristine, flat black vinyl object that looked a little like a wallet. He held it in front of him a moment and spoke. "You can tell already that things have changed. A lot." He spoke clearly but softly as he explained. "I think it's time for you to see just how much." He handed her the object. His mother held it in her paw a moment, looking at it, feeling the weight of it on the pad of her palm.

She smiled up at her son and said, "Nice and heavy, but Nick, you know money doesn't make the mammal." She smiled, obviously pleased all the same.

Judy watched intently at her partner as he answered that. "That's not a wallet, Mom. Boy do I wish, but no. Open it." Nick knelt down in front of her to watch as well, obviously nervous and excited. Vivienne tilted her head a little and opened the folded vinyl, revealing a bright gold and silver badge with a shiny, perfect name plate underneath. The plate read, in bold, proud letters, ' _Nicholas P. Wilde_ '. It was Vivienne's turn to freeze in time as Judy smiled to Nick and then back down to his mother. Her eyes tracked slowly back to her son in disbelief.

"What…" She murmured softly, rapidly blinking her eyes as if dazed. Nick put his claw-tips gently on his mother's shoulder reassuring and spoke in a smooth, tender voice,

"Mom, you are looking at Zootopia's first fox police officer." To punctuate this, he gave a bright, proud grin to his mom. A quarter second passed and she just exploded. The vixen threw her arms around her son, clutching his badge in her paw and sobbing as she held him. Her emotional state was even more intense than when Nick had greeted her so emotionally. Judy could not help but start crying again too, and she patted the vixen's shoulder encouragingly. Nick smiled up at his partner over his mother's shoulder. It was juxtaposition from how they had been moments before. He was proud and happy, pressing his cheek to his mother's ear and just gripping her tight in his arms. After taking a moment to really get herself back under control, Vivienne leaned back into the couch and sighed deeply, holding the gleaming badge in one trembling paw, her other one over her heart. She looked back up to Nick and hiccupped, then said wistfully,

"Alright Nicholas… Talk. Tell me _everything_."


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note:**

 _It's been a short ride, but I had a lot of fun. This chapter is, I admit now, mostly emotional fluff, but a bit more needed to be said about my interpretation of the events going forward. This story arc comes to a close here but do not despair! I intend to write more! My next project which I intend to start soon will be a continuing piece that should go on a while. I rather like these short story arcs, but I want to explore the city of Zootopia and its citizens far more! It's time to go on some cases open to close with our bunny and fox pair and see how they do. I consider myself graduated from Fanfiction Academy, time to get out into the world! Until next time!_

 _I of course own very little, and among those things I own, Zootopia and these characters are strikingly absent. I have used them lovingly as a fan to explore my own dreams of their exciting and wonderful city and you folks get to come along for the ride. Car sick bags are found in the pockets on the back of each seat. Do try to hold it in, and enjoy!_

 **Thanks for the Fox**

Chapter 6: Family and Hope

Judy had given a little bit of thought to how she might have explained things to Vivienne if Nick had asked her to, but Nick eagerly wanted to tell it all instead. The bunny had been the one to explain things to Finnick, after all, so it would not have surprise her to be given the lead by her suddenly very flustered partner. However, despite being a bit emotional still, Nick plowed right on through to tell his mother everything.

This was actually troublesome to Judy because her partner acted like he was unable to consider the implications of telling his mother exactly what she asked for. Everything. First, he openly explained what he had been doing when he met Judy, and how he had treated her when they first met. This obviously infuriated the vixen, but she remained quiet even if the insides of her flattened ears were visibly red anytime they flicked in agitation.

Vivienne then appeared utterly shocked when she found out that Judy had used literal blackmail to coerce her son into helping her, and that put the shoe on the other foot in a hurry. Now Judy was the one beaten down with a death glare. Quietly, the bunny was beginning to panic. How could he be so free in telling his mother that? It was told entirely from his point of view so the circumstances for Judy's behavior and her desperation to get the case solved were omitted. But she dared not to interject and interrupt because it really was Nick's right to tell her all of this. On top of that, Judy already knew she was going to have to answer for her being dishonest with Nick, so she did not want to add to the friction.

He continued to explain, neither ashamed nor hesitant, saying everything as if it wasn't even about the two mammals there in front of the vixen. In mere moments, Vivienne was visibly angry at Nick again because he literally interfered with a police investigation just to damage Judy. With how the first day was sounding, Judy knew Nick's mom had to be confused as to how the two were friends at all.

The mood for the vixen became instead horrified when, to Judy's utter shock, Nick held absolutely nothing back about the incident with Mr. Big. Vivienne's son was going to be killed by a mob boss. The little doe could not believe he calmly and casually told his mother that he almost got iced. Vivienne cupped her muzzle and listened breathlessly as it was revealed that Judy's undisclosed heroic actions earlier in the day were likely all that prevented their demise. Nick even explained that this had been _after_ a mistake he had made some years before doing less-than-honest business with a very dangerous mammal.

Vivienne looked thankful that Judy had been able to prevent that, if indirectly, and the lady fox actually finally had to excuse herself to the restroom a moment. Judy suspected that this was to recover her composure. While she was there, Judy jumped up and held her paws out at Nick.

She gritted her teeth and hissed, "What the f-flaming compost heaps are you doing, Nick?!" Her partner calmly smiled back.

"I'm telling her how everything happened." He said simply.

Judy held her ears in her fists as she regarded her partner with a panicked expression. She forced a whisper, "Not all of it, you're freaking her out!" The bunny paced anxiously.

"No, I'm freaking _you_ out. She deserves to know all of it." The fox clarified.

"Nick, some of the stuff about the Nighthowler Case was not released to the general public, you can't tell her until after the trials for Jesse and Woolter are done." The bunny was openly exasperated.

Nick smiled and said reassuringly, "I understand your concern, but I can tell her. She might worry, she might fret, but I won't lie. Not to her. Never again." His expression was so serious that Judy immediately felt like a heel to even suggest it. She had omitted a lot of the more dangerous, scary parts of the ordeal in her explanation to her parents, but Nick did not seem to feel that was necessary with his.

The vixen returned and sat down again, and Nick continued to explain. She looked instantly horrified once again as he gave _very_ vivid detail about the incident with Manchas in the rain forest. Vivienne watched Judy carefully as her son explained that she risked her life to save him, and then he told her about not just escaping onto the gondola to save himself. He would not leave the bunny.

This confused the vixen a bit. It was actually the first time she asked for clarification and corroboration. Given how they had not gotten along she was surprised to find that they would do that for each other. She was far more surprised as Nick finally explained what Bogo had been doing to Judy. She showed immediate concern that this mammal was now Nick's boss, but they both assured the vixen things were not so bad as that part of the story made it look. She had to dab her eyes again as Nick explained that he stood up to the buffalo and began to help Judy on his own, no longer inhibiting her investigation.

He then explained the night at the old hospital, finding the missing mammals. Again the vixen was mortified at the sheer danger of it. Judy flushed them both, and then they fell so far into the water below. She was especially worried that this was done without a team effort from the ZPD, but she at least understood why at that point. She was less upset at Judy and Nick at that point, however. It seemed that Nick understood to a degree how his mother would react to the full on truth. She was riveted, unable to break away from the story.

Finally they got to the part about the news conference and the vixen waved a paw at Nick, saying softly, "No, I know about that. I was watching. Good heavens I had no idea you were even there. So many folks got so angry about that! You must have needed to guard her tooth and nail from so many mammals after that little mess up." Nick looked suddenly pained. It was the first time that Judy saw him actually hesitate about part of the explanation and it was strange for her to watch. She knew how bad it hurt him.

He answered softly, "I… I left her, mom. I got mad and stormed out. I wasn't gonna speak to her again." He looked down sadly. Vivienne looked at Judy, who obviously looked pained hearing him say it that way. He forgave her under that bridge. She knew that, but she had not considered, not until that moment, that he knew it hurt her too. She never told him that she forgave him for leaving. Judy honestly thought she was the only one who needed to apologize. To hear him say it to his mother, he was the one who messed that up, not her.

Vivienne asked incredulously, "Why did you leave her? I mean, she messed up, but stuff turned to crap so quickly! I remember reading about the fights, the protests… You finally checked on her, didn't you?" she asked. Judy put her paw on that of his mother. She was about to say something in Nick's defense, but wasn't sure if his mother knew the whole story about why he reacted the way he did. Nick had an old wound reopened by Judy, but the bunny didn't think she had the right to tell her that.

Her partner answered in a sullen tone, "I left her because I thought she was just like the rest of the city. Self-righteous, self-aggrandizing, self, self, self." He shook his head. "I spent… gosh… weeks coming up with the speech I was going to use on her. I was gonna let her really know how it felt from a fox point of view." Judy folded her ears back. She had not heard this part of the story before and she remained silent. She never knew he even thought about her that much after it happened. He looked down as he continued to talk, "I was nothing but mad the whole time, and stuff kept going wrong. They ejected me from my apartment because the hustle wasn't doing great. No one wanted to be near a fox that could suddenly go off the deep end while he was close enough to take cash from them." He explained. Judy gritted her teeth. She knew about the apartment thing and lamented it openly despite Nick reassuring her that was because of what Bellwether was doing, not because of Judy's press conference.

Vivienne finally interjected, "Look, Nicky, she was obviously never trained for that kind of thing, and grew up with a bunny point of view-"

Nick cut her off, "I know mom. I'm getting to that." He gave a long sigh, again struggling with how to honestly explain what happened next. Vivienne put her paws on her knees and listened. Judy listened too. "I stewed over it for a few months. I knew I shouldn't have left. I saw a video Finnick sent me on Ewetube of Judy being bounced around in the middle of a protest. I guess Fin thought it would cheer me up because I was so angry at her, but it didn't. She looked so miserable and I hated seeing that."

Judy widened her eyes at that, ears back. She had never known this happened. She hadn't asked, sure, but it was so important. Had Nick changed his mind about her even before she asked for his forgiveness? Judy scooted a little closer, knowing her expression was making it clear to Vivienne that this was something that the bunny was interested in hearing as well. Nick's mother glanced at her and looked so sad that the two younger mammals had suffered like that, but she did not interrupt.

Nick continued, in a softer tone, "It bothered me every single day after that, so I finally had enough and went to see if I could set things straight. I went to meet Judy at the ZPD. I wanted to talk about it, tell her how I felt, let her explain her side of things like rational adults. I felt like maybe she didn't even understand why I was so upset and that would have been an injustice, right? She deserved a chance to know how I felt and tell me how she saw it." Nick looked down again, shame in his eyes as he spoke. "Some hippo was at the desk, real blunt and kind of rude, I have no idea how he got stuck with that duty, but man he looked so miserable. Anyway, he said… Judy resigned. She was just… gone." Nick sounded so sullen about it. The bunny put a paw to her chest. She didn't know he had actually looked for her at the ZPD. Why has he never said anything about this?

"What? But she fought so hard!" Vivienne cried as looked at Judy with a pained expression. The bunny had told her on the train about how she became a cop, and how long it took, and that a lot of things stood against her and she made it. Hearing that she had been nearly destroyed in all of this obviously hit Vivienne hard.

Nick interjected, "…and she felt responsible for all the crap happening. The fights, the persecution, the unhappiness…" he explained. Judy looked away, not wanting to think about that chapter of her life much, hoping the story moved on soon. She still felt responsible and there was still so much more to fix about that single mistake.

Vivienne huffed in frustration, "It was that maniac sheep, not Judy! She didn't make those mammals go nuts!" Vivienne stood up, so exasperated by this, and gestured as she said a bit more loudly, "Blowwether was even _at_ the press conference, they arrested the sheep who grilled Judy from the press pool for being a part of the conspiracy. It was a setup! They talked about that at the diner all the time, everyone knows it." Nick could not help but laugh at his mom's nickname for the now incarcerated ewe. He waved again to calm her down.

After he chuckled a bit more at that, he continued to speak, "I couldn't really do much after that, of course. I didn't know where she had gone. My feelings changed almost immediately, and I had no idea what I wanted to say to her. She might _not_ have ended her dream if I had been there with her. If she had someone to help her manage the damage or at least support her, maybe it would have gone very different." He explained. Judy gritted her teeth. He was feeling guilt over it. She would talk with him later about it.

"I wish I'd been there for you both, I really do…" Vivienne said sadly, reaching out and taking her son's paw.

Nick resumed, "I watched for her on the streets for days after that, not even knowing she left the city. She went back to Bunnyburrow." Judy nodded at that in confirmation to his mother. Her partner then perked up a bit. "Then, just a few days after that, less than a week actually... Judy shows up at the place where I was hanging out. Finnick called ahead to let me know she was coming. He wanted to give me a chance to leave if I didn't want to deal with her, but he said she acted pretty desperate. I still wanted to know what she was feeling, so I guess I kind of gave her the quiet treatment, but she gave me an honest response, laid it all out, and I accepted it. I realized… as she was talking to me, apologizing, I didn't need her apology half as much as I needed her friendship." Vivienne crossed her arms over her chest with a sweet expression of happiness, cooing softly. Nick waved it away and murmured, "Yeah, yeah, we hugged it out, real emotional, pretty location, best memory, but that's where it got good." He explained.

And he explained everything that happened next. To Judy's creeping dread he didn't leave a single bit of it out. The looks of horror came back to the vixen's countenance as Nick used novelist detail recounting what he was technically was not allowed to tell anyone… about the train with contraband, the crash, the fight in the museum, and finally, the trap laid out for Bellwether. Fortunately he explained what the trick was supposed to be instead of going for the dramatic and explaining the switched pellet after the fact. Still, Nick being shot in the neck with what was supposed to be a Nighthowler in order to force him to literally kill and eat his best friend for Bellwether's apparent amusement was too much. It presented the need for another bathroom break from the absolutely enraged vixen. There was a great deal of grumbling and distress from behind that closed door that sensitive rabbit ears could pick up. Judy felt sincerely that at no time was it ever going to be a good idea to have Dawn Bellwether and Vivienne Wilde in the same building.

Refreshed, Vivienne returned and listened about the ruse itself, cupping her muzzle in shock at how far the bunny and fox went to trick Bellwether. Judy figured that the surprise was about the gall it took for both of them to play that kind of trick on the former mayor without knowing what else she might be able to do to them. They had staked their lives on that ruse.

However, that was not what the vixen fixated on. She said in a slow and calculated tone, "His teeth…" she pointed at her son. "Around your neck?" she asked in a wavering tone. The bunny nodded. Vivienne looked blankly at her smiling son a moment then back to Judy.

The bunny said reassuringly, "It was a very convincing trick, but in the end, I couldn't hold the seriousness of it because he was so gentle that it tickled! I would've started squealing with laughter had I not broken character," she chuckled.

"Nick…" his mother stated softly, "There's such a thing as primal instinct… You realize if you had scared Judy badly enough… I mean… Acting or not, b-bunnies are known for exiting stage _life_ from hard enough scares." She sounded genuinely concerned. Judy thought back to the moment. She had not been the slightest bit afraid as she felt his jaws close around her throat. Was it that hard to believe?

Nick tried to deflate his mother's concern. He said, "She knew I wouldn't hurt her. Truthfully, I think I was more scared than she was. If I had even _accidentally_ harmed her during that, I'd have needed therapy forever!" he said plaintively. He then explained the aftermath, taking Judy to the hospital, the ZPD putting her up in a hotel for a few days. Nick stayed with her so she would not have to go outside and give it away to the media where she was while she recovered. This gave her time to produce her report for everything that happened.

That brought up the obvious detail that Vivienne openly inquired about, "How did you end up being a cop again, though? I mean… You didn't exactly endear yourself upon the rule of law through all of that."

Judy smiled and answered. "Well, I wasn't real popular with Bogo after, no, but he saw reason, and he did _not_ want it to get out that the person who solved the case had been mistreated by him, even if he regretted it. He created a narrative of my performing these actions as a private citizen _for_ the ZPD, and the DA dropped any possible charges resulting from destruction of city property and the like in exchange for my full testimony. Nick's little tax issue was dropped as well since his corroboration was absolutely critical. Nick agreed to go into the police academy afterward as part of his deal with the DA."

"It was my intention anyway. I'd already made up my mind on that, but we used it as leverage. That and agreeing to have them draft my back taxes out of my checks." Nick added.

Judy spoke again, "It was requested that his involvement not be public record until after the last of the trials from it were done. They wanted him to be treated fairly in the academy." she explained. "He graduated, top honors, as I knew he would, about three months ago, and we've been partners ever since!" Vivienne widened her eyes and stood up suddenly.

"What?" she asked.

Nick nodded and stated cheerfully, "I am Judy Hopps' partner on the force. Like I said, we trust each other with our lives. We're a great team!" His mother was suddenly completely exasperated.

"Nicholas!" she cried, "By my count, that bunny nearly _killed_ you five separate times in the first 48 hours you were with her! How are you alive after _three months_ of Judy Hopps?" At first, Judy's heart sank like a rock, fearing that after Nick's story, in his point of view, Vivienne Wilde did not at all care for her son being around the reckless and unorthodox bunny. The younger fox just laughed at his mom jovially, and his mother laughed as well, showing that she was teasing her son. Nick hugged the vixen comfortingly.

"Worry not, Mother," he stated, getting a bit of a blanching expression from the vixen who apparently preferred 'Mom' instead. "Judy and I have settled down nicely. We're like an old married couple now!" He grinned. Her expression went blank and Judy's entire body felt like it was engulfed in flames. Poor choice of words fox, given what she already appeared to suspect early on. She rubbed the back of her head uncomfortably. Judy had no idea if the comment was intentional, given how obviously embarrassed she must have looked. Nick dispelled the awkward moment with a serious question. "What I want to know, Judy, is exactly how you just happened to find my mom in New Reynard. You just stopped by the diner and there she was? How did you even get to a point of knowing who she was?" he asked. Judy rubbed the back of her head with worry. This was it. It was time to come clean. She hoped he'd not be too angry.

She sighed softly and stated in a slow and cautious tone, "Well… No, not… not exactly." She was not sure what to say now. She had lied to him outright. She lied when he trusted her. She decided to work backwards, that way when it became obvious what she'd done he would not have to interrupt her to be irritated by it. "I would not have found her at all, except old Elliot… he pointed me to the Diner. " She then narrowed her eyes. Wait a minute, there was no way, in a town that size, that old fox would _not_ have known Vivienne worked at the Diner. She widened her eyes. It was on purpose. He didn't tell her anything until he knew that her interests were genuine. Then he told her right where to find Nick's mom! That crafty old… She was broken out of her musing as the vixen looked to Nick and then back to Judy.

"Wait, old Elliot, the town caretaker? Like… very old fox?" the lady vixen asked.

Judy looked blankly at Nick's confused-looking mom. "Yeah. Silvering fur, wore a nice white or cream suit?" the bunny offered.

"No, he didn't send you to the diner, hon." The vixen looked suddenly uncomfortable, then dismissive. Judy paused. Now what? Nick blinked at that, looking confused. Her partner shook his head and spoke up.

"Okay, so maybe not Elliot, but some fox told you to check out the Diner?" Nick asked, seeming to try to push the story along, away from the distraction. Judy blinked at that. No, she knew who she spoke with, he was so kind, and she was never going to forget him. She racked her brain for his full name.

"No, I'm serious. It was Elliot... Scratch? Scratchy? Scritch… Scritchard! Elliot Scritchard!" she announced triumphantly. Names were often challenging for the bunny.

"Judy, dear…" Vivienne murmured softly, ears back. The bunny felt better that the older vixen sounded genuinely kind to her after everything had been explained. What she said next derailed the bunny.

"Elliot Scritchard died 11 years ago, sweetie." The vixen stated with concern. "You can't possibly have met him." Judy looked bewildered at the vixen. She then looked back at her son. Nick looked shocked too. Judy knew from experience that her partner did not have a taste for spooky stuff. Judy liked scary movies, but this was _not_ a movie and the implication was genuinely terrifying. Judy thought hard about the experience. The wisdom he appeared to have. The ancient feel of his touch. The slowness of his movements. The rattling sound of his voice. How he seemed to know exactly what to say and ask, as if placed there for that very moment in time for that exact purpose. Had the curious onlookers seen her talking to nothing? Was that why they were watching her? Judy suddenly felt a sinking feeling of dread, pins and needles in her paws. Everything she could imagine a ghost encounter to be like was what she had experienced. No, that could not be right! There was no such thing! She looked plaintively to Vivienne and back to Nick.

"Y-You must be mistaken, he was there! I met him... H-He was so kind…" Judy stammered. The vixen picked up her purse suddenly and began rummaging in it. Judy wrung her paws, seeing that Nick looked genuinely worried too.

"One moment, hold on… I have proof, I'm not kidding. He's really... Okay, here it is…" She pulled out a little velvet bag, and then dropped a round object from it. She handed it to Judy. It was a large heavy pewter coin. She held her breath. She was curious to find out how this was the static proof that she had seen a real ghost. There was a stylized almost gothic calligraphy-style word. It took her a second to really read it. GOT. Were those initials? That didn't seem to be for the old fox. She turned the heavy coin over in her fingers. YOU. Judy blinked at that, and then winced, looking up at the vixen. Her mouth was wide open in a huge grin, her son covering his face in grim resignation.

"Got you?! Oh sweet cheese and crackers, I have to deal with _two_ of you now?!" Judy cried, standing up, putting her paws on her cheeks. Vivienne burst into a fit of laughter.

"Mom!" Nick cried. "You've held on to that thing for twenty years and you use it _now_?! Right after you put a crimp in my tail about scaring bunnies!?" She grinned brightly at her son and nodded rapidly. Nick reached for the coin and took it from Judy, inspecting it. He held it up, smiling.

Vivienne said cheerfully, "Nicholas pranked me when he was like… twelve or thirteen." The vixen laughed. She finally sighed, appearing to be in great spirits. Nick handed the coin back to her and she put it back in her bag. It was obviously a memento now. Vivienne then stood up, stretching a bit. She looked to her son and asked meekly, "Would you mind terribly if I used your shower? I went straight from work to here, shopping and cooking, I could use a softening." Nick smiled at the lady fox and nodded happily.

"Sure, Mom! Towels are in the little closet just opposite the bathroom door offset from my bedroom. I will straighten up in my room a bit and you can flop in there later, I'll sleep on the couch. I doze off there half the time anyway." Nick's tone was bright and cheerful as well. Judy felt like she was seeing _real_ cheer from him where for a year it had merely been forced. He was delighted that his mother was staying the night. Judy sighed happily at how things had worked out as Vivienne padded off to freshen up. She almost forgot that she had managed to dodge Nick's questioning. Almost.

Nick said in a somewhat darker tone, "Sit back down, Judy." Her blood ran a little cold, and her attention jerked from her happy musings to a very serious-looking red fox which remained alone with her in the room. Her ears flattened. He used her real name, not a nickname. She slowly sat down, paws between her knees. No Vivienne to rescue her this time. The prank was obviously an attempt at that. She looked up sadly at Nick as he sat beside her.

"Yes?" she asked nervously.

His voice was soft and his words slow and carefully chosen. "If I were to… say… give this Gary mammal a call… The one who had work he needed help with…" he started.

"Gideon." Judy offered.

"Yes, Gideon… If I called Gideon right now, and asked him what he had you doing in New Reynard today… what might such a mammal's reply to that question be?" The red vulpine's tail flicked in nervous agitation on the couch as he sat right beside Judy. Her heart pounded.

She offered meekly, "He'd maybe say… Ah don't know what in tarnation yer talkin' about!" She emulated his rural accent. Nick put his paws on his muzzle and rubbed downward as it obviously confirmed his suspicion. Judy had not told him the truth. He looked very concerned. Judy hated this. It was so happy just moments ago and now she was terrified. After a bit of time, the fox spoke up again.

"So you did lie to me. I gave you my full trust there and you just… threw that… untruth out there?" he asked with a curious tone more than a condescending one. Judy had thought quite a bit on the return train ride about how she might answer that inevitable question.

And that's exactly how she answered it. "I did, yes. But I didn't want to cause you a lot of additional stress. After all… you might still be getting over that nasty flu you had back before the academy." She looked down, knowing it was low, but she wanted to make a point. The ruse was _for_ him, not against him. He chuckled slightly at that.

"Ca- Fluff…" he corrected himself, perhaps serious about trying not to use that nickname. Judy wondered how long that would last. He continued. "Okay, I will award you that point, and if you forgive my misrepresentation of the facts back then, I will forgive yours, but… I really have to know…" he looked up, as if trying genuinely to calm himself. Judy cringed a little, beginning to worry if he was really restraining himself from just blowing up. He got up, pacing a bit in front of the bunny. "…and I want you to be completely honest here… How long? How long have you _known_ my mother was alive?" Judy widened her eyes. He thought she was hiding _that_ from him? Judy shook her head vigorously, and then looked at the clock, then her partner.

"Oh Nick! Only about... six hours! I promise I didn't _know_ she was alive!" Nick's slightly hurt expression turned to one a lot more distressed.

He gestured somewhat wildly, raising his voice a little, "What were you _doing_ in New Reynard then?!" he asked. "Mom said you were there looking for her, but you didn't _know_ she was alive this morning when you left? Help me understand, Fluff!"

Judy held her smaller paws up, trying to calm Nick as she spoke in a softer tone, "Look, I had a reason, okay, hold on, I'll explain!" Nick gestured again, indicating that was very much welcome. She inhaled deeply. It was going to sound so stupid and invasive and meddlesome. There was no way around it, so she decided just to put it all out in front of him and let him kick it around if he wanted. She would not get upset. "Nick… Bunnies are super sentimental." She looked into his eyes. His expression didn't change, but he sat back down on the couch.

Concern still in his eyes he nodded. "I've become aware, yes." He confessed.

Judy sighed softly and said, "I was trying to find where your mother was buried, Nick. I… I found out with a bit of record searching that your father was there in New Reynard, so I figured I would give that a try." Nick looked even worse. Judy cringed. Yeah, she dug herself a hole, no denying it. She sighed and just kept going. "I wasn't just being nosey, Nick, I had something I had to do!" she said desperately, and then tried to quiet herself. Nick remained still, sitting on the couch beside her. Judy smoothed her ears back as if they were a mess.

Nick spoke a little softer, apparently winning the battle to calm himself. "What did you need, Fluff? I mean… you didn't know her, what were you doing there? Why would you go all the way out there to see where she was? You were giving me space, did you think you'd just convince me eventually to go out there and put me in front of her memorial unexpectedly?" Nick asked. Judy winced, not because it sounded a bit crass, but that it might have actually been a thing she would have considered if he waited too long to visit the site. The bunny shook her head though.

There was a whimper in her voice as she spoke, she couldn't help it. "I wanted to talk to her, alright? Me. Just me. You didn't have to go," she said plaintively. Nick's features went slack. Something appeared to catch him off guard. At least he didn't seem to be interested in teasing her about her sentimentality.

He looked his partner in the eyes and asked softly, "Why?" His ears were back, his face gut-wrenchingly sad.

Judy straightened up a little, his sudden meekness giving her a little more courage to keep talking. "A couple things, actually…" She sucked in a deep breath and said, her tone hushed, "To tell her that you had friends who cared for your happiness, and those friends wanted you in their lives. I wanted to tell her that you were seeing a new city from the one you thought you knew…" She looked down at her feet. It had to sound so silly to him. She continued, pinching her eyes shut, trying not to cry. "To tell her that I would do everything I could to keep you safe and that we all wanted you to be happy." That was genuine, but she'd told him that before. It was not new. It was her promise as his partner, and she'd even said it a few times to encourage him while he was at the academy. He didn't say anything for a moment. Judy then added the last part, having hoped she would not have to say it. He'd tease her for it, she just knew, but she wilted a bit and murmured, "And to tell her thank you."

Nick's expression flickered to one of genuine curiosity. "Thank her? What for?" he asked. He at least did not seem angry at her now. This had been a very grueling five minutes or so. The doe looked up to Nick, into his curious green eyes.

She said in a tender voice, "For giving me you."

The words sounded so bunny-sentimental and sappy that she expected an immediate eye-roll so hard that Nick would have needed medical attention for it. She would see the eye-roll occasionally when they watched romantic comedies on the rare occasion that Nick allowed her to determine the fare for movie night.

She did not get an eye roll this time however. Nick's expression jerked to something of surprise, and then he snapped his head away, facing the front door as if someone just kicked it in, looking away from his partner. He did not say anything to her for a moment, stark still and tense. He brought his dark paws to his face a moment, wiping down again, and then ears perked as he heard his mother getting out of the bathroom. Judy looked in that direction and felt the couch shift a bit as Nick retreated into the kitchen. The bunny was a little concerned at first, but saw he was cleaning up the table and getting dishes sorted from the meal Judy had almost forgotten about. Vivienne smiled brightly as she entered.

"Now I feel foxier." She laughed, wearing a fluffy baby blue bath robe. Judy wondered if it was hers, or if Nick had it. It didn't really look gender specific. Judy smiled back at her partner's mother, not wanting her to think anything was wrong. Nick cleared his throat and moved swiftly over toward the bedroom, obviously avoiding looking at anyone.

"I'm… gonna straighten up in there." He pointed to his bedroom. "It'll be all ready to go in just a sec." he noted as he hurried past, not letting Judy see his face. She worried more, but didn't want to let that show in front of his mom. She found herself left alone again with another fox, and fearing what kind of conversation she might be subjected to. It had been a wonderful but slightly harrowing day. When Judy looked back at Vivienne, she was crying. The bunny's ears wilted back as she tried to figure out what was wrong. Maybe it was still just the general realization of everything.

She had no idea foxes were this emotional with all the teasing Nick gave her about bunnies. But after a moment she figured out what her attention was on. Vivienne had picked up the picture of Nick at graduation. It was a photo taken by a professional photographer in the crowd just after Judy had pinned the badge to his chest. There was a bright, proud grin on his face.

Judy offered softly, "I can get you a copy of this picture, if you like, Viv…" The lady fox wiped her muzzle with a puffy robe sleeve. She nodded, grinning to the bunny.

In a wavering voice Vivienne said, "I know I seem silly… Set off by this, but you don't…. you can't understand… I don't know how much you know about his youth, but Nicholas… suffered some setbacks in life. Hard ones." The bunny did not want to give away how much she knew because she did not know how much Nick shared with his mom about it, but she nodded.

"I know." She said softly.

"This…" the vixen held up the graduation picture of Nick. "This is proof that he's where he needs to be right now, and I want to show you why…" She opened her bag again, taking out a little yellow envelope. She reached into it, searching a short moment before taking out a picture of a little fox kit with green eyes. Judy's heart nearly shattered. The kit, obviously Nick, wore a Junior Ranger uniform. The bunny was _definitely_ aware of that painful story, and she cupped her muzzle as she looked at the image, having to fight back tears herself. Even a bunny was ill suited to emotionally come to terms with the level of cute that Nick was as a kit. He was hurt maybe just hours after that picture was taken in a way that ultimately ruined the next 20 years of his life. That adorable little kit was nearly destroyed.

"Nick, he was so…" Judy couldn't think of a word to offer for it.

Vivienne understood the expression on the bunny. "So he _did_ tell you, didn't he? If he told anyone, I had my bet that it'd have been you." Judy looked up and nodded, saying nothing more about it. It was not her place. His mother stated softly, "I'm not showing this to you to make you sad, Judy. Look at his expression there…" The bunny leaned down, looking at it carefully. His grin was so big she could see his back teeth, his ears out at kind of silly angles but high and happy, his bright green eyes flooded with life and energy as if he was about to fly apart at the seams with joy. It's how she would want any of her kits to look if she were a mother. It pained Judy to know that some mean part of the city took that away from him. She was reminded too that but days before a small part of the city, in the form of a closed-minded kangaroo mother, was eager to strip even more of his joy away if it could. It was so unfair.

Judy stammered, "I can't… I can't even deal with how cute he was as a kid." She smiled at his mother, knowing that she understood. The vixen called Judy's attention to the older, smaller photo again. The bunny looked down.

The vixen said in a softer, sad voice, "The day after this photo was taken, this smile... The one you see there… I never saw it again." Judy's breath died in her throat at that. "Not once. He would do the half-lidded smug smile if he was trying to fit into the moment, or the eyes wide goofy smile if he was just being funny, but not this. Not like that. Never again." Judy frowned at that, but looked up as Vivienne put her paws on Judy's shoulder. The fox's eyes were wet with barely restrained tears. "When Nick showed me his badge a little bit ago and I looked up…" Judy widened her eyes, a moment of reflection, and the image was so clear in her mind.

The bright grin he gave to his mom when she saw his badge, that moment when his mother just instantly exploded. Judy looked suddenly back down to the picture of the tiny fox kit, so overflowing with pride in his crisp meaningful uniform. That smile. She looked back to the picture of Nick at his graduation. While she was absent in the picture itself, she had been there, he had been smiling at her. Both the smile he'd just given his mom and the one in the graduation photo were exactly the same as that joyful little kit. She buried her face in her little paws. Too much! Vivienne pulled her close to let her softly cry. It was so sad, but so happy at the same time.

Judy whimpered out against Vivienne's shoulder, "I'm glad. I'm glad you get to see it again." She had looked forward to the happiness she was bringing home for Nick, but had not realized how overwhelming it would be. Vivienne however, was not done with Judy's heart.

She said in that soft, motherly tone, "Judy, you know you did a good thing, do not worry about anything you've done here. Do _not_ question yourself…" The young doe blinked at that, wondering if the vixen had overheard her conversation with Nick, or just read the expressions earlier. The vixen's green eyes locked on amethyst irises of the bunny. "You are a clever bunny. I know that you are perfectly aware that you brought home a mother to a son who had truly believed he'd lost her, and that was a lovely thing Judy. It's a trophy for the wall of life, but I need you to understand that what you did for Nick is _nothing_ compared to what you did for me. I did not think my son was dead, but I believed him to be gone, all the same. It's so much worse looking into his eyes and not seeing him anymore. You didn't just walk into a Diner and find him, bunny. You tore him back from somewhere no one else in the world could go." Judy was stunned at what Vivienne was saying, and she was utterly speechless.

The bunny finally spoke after having to really think of what she could say and not seem ungrateful for that kind of praise. "Vivienne, I… I didn't do that alone, you know. Nick has some good friends now, and getting through the academy… that was all on his own. He's a great mammal, I don't have to tell _you_ that." Judy wanted to hang some of the laurels on her partner. He had every reason to be proud of what he was. The vixen spoke up again softly.

"I know he was meant to be great, and the world took it away. I tried, Judy, I tried so hard to give it back, to put him back on the right path, but he didn't need me pushing him, he needed to follow someone he believed in more than himself. And I am glad it was you." She smiled warmly at Judy and the bunny just hugged her. The bunny didn't know what else to say. She then sniffled a bit as Nick returned. He looked with a little genuine concern at Judy. The doe stood up rather suddenly, realizing the time. She did not want to have to go back to her apartment too terribly late. She _really_ did not want Nick to miss out on time to talk to his mom tonight, just the two of them. They would certainly have a lot to say to each other.

Judy said softly, "I should… I should actually head back, it's already almost ten. I didn't realize how fast the evening had gone." The bunny said breathlessly. Nick looked to his mother and smiled.

"You okay having some tea and waiting up for me till I get back? I'm gonna walk Judy back to her apartment." The bunny waved at Nick frantically.

"Oh no, I don't need you to do that, Nick, I am fine on my own, remember, we're both cops!" she laughed.

The male vulpine nodded. "Yep, and I'm your partner, so I have your back!"

Vivienne laughed hard at that. "Ahaaahaa! You are so right… Like an old married couple." Judy's ears went flat to hide the scarlet in them again. Vivienne gestured to the door. "Go, go… I can't possibly sleep for a while yet, I would be delighted to help myself to some tea." She moved over to the kitchen again as Nick shooed the bunny out the door.

Judy followed Nick as he casually headed out of the apartment building. She felt like he wanted to finish the talk they were having before and her nerves were so frazzled after dealing with her partner's very appreciative mother that she wasn't sure she could flip-flop back to a less happy Nick. He said nothing for some way as Judy followed behind him. Was he really just walking her back safely? Was he so overwhelmed with everything that he could not talk to her? She felt a little silly for worrying obsessively about it, and did not notice when Nick stopped short. She crashed right into the back of him, stepping on his pillowy fox tail. He didn't protest, though she certainly hopped right off of it. He turned and looked at Judy with incomprehensible eyes. They shined in the pale light of streetlamps that lit the small park they had been walking past but his mood was not so readable. He looked… lost?

He finally spoke in a deeper, softer tone than normal, "Judy… I want you to know I am not mad at you." Her heart did a happy flip. She did not smile though. She did not want to let on how much gladness that filled her with. She felt a 'but' coming on. But… she disappointed him, right. But… he was not sure he could trust her again. But… she could have messed up their friendship with her nosey obsession.

She offered preemptively, "Nick, I know… And I'm glad…" she answered slowly. "… But I _am_ sorry. I should not have done those things without even talking to you about it. I was nosey and I could have messed things up and I will talk more and act less," she stated firmly. Nick looked directly into her eyes. His own were filled with serious intensity.

"Do not mistake how I am acting right now… for anything negative about you." He stated this calmly. "I am going to admit something I _never_ admit, so don't get used to it." The bunny swallowed hard. He closed his eyes a moment and then looked keenly back into hers. "You got to me Judy." The bunny perked her ears tall. Nick leaned down and put his arms around his partner, giving her a slow, warm hug. It was not terribly aggressive, but there was no caution or uncertainty behind it. Judy pushed her cheek to his shoulder. He'd given her a quick squeeze before, a few times perhaps. However, she could not remember anyone outside of her immediate family ever really hugging her. Not like this. She held her breath, uncertain what to say or do. Her partner finally continued to speak, over her shoulder, "… You do not…" his voice sounded anxious, strained. "You don't even have a frame of reference, Judy." He half-said, half squeaked her name. Violet eyes grew wet again. She blinked hard, trying not to let her emotions get overwhelming again. Near-whispering, her partner continued. "… You just bounce on into my life and you run around fixing this, patching up that, and soon it's like I have a brand new life… And before you say it, yeah, I know I did a lot of the work, but I had help, and most of it was you."

"Nick, you don't have to-…" She wanted to make sure he knew that she didn't expect any kind of special gratitude for it, she was just happy things worked out. Forgiving her snoopiness would be more than enough for her if she could hope to have that!

Nick cut her off, however. "Fluff, when I told you the thing about my mom it hurt me, not because _I_ was hurting about it – and I was… but because I knew it would hurt you too. Because finally I was broken in a way you could not possibly ever _hope_ to fix. But what the hell, Judy?!" he was obviously crying now, slightly shaking against her, but he held her so she would not see it. "You fixed that too! Somehow you still _fixed_ it! When I realized that she was there because of _you_ , I was … I don't know… I could not believe it! I can't repay something like that! I can never repay that, you can't even understand how bad it was and I would never, ever _want_ you to understand!" He sniffed. Judy freely but quietly cried too. She would never, ever forget this. Nick spoke again, softer. "I don't know how to even _thank_ you for something like this! My mom doesn't know how to thank you for it." Judy looked out over the quiet park wide-eyed. She had never heard Nick in this state. She knew he needed it, but wasn't sure what to do with it. He was overwhelmed and this was completely out of character for him, but this was her partner with no walls. He needed to hear something from her. Judy was not good at this kind of thing. She just slipped her arms around him and hugged back, a little more firmly, she felt, than she'd ever hugged anyone before.

After some quiet thought, she murmured, "Nick, you know what my dream has been. Helping others. Being a cop. Making the world a better place… that's always been my dream. You and I go out there every day now… and we see all the ways that the world is not right. It's broken. It's always been a little broken. So often there's nothing we can do to really help it. Nick, what do you think you could give me that can match what I got when I saw you hold your mom again? No, I can't really imagine how it felt for you to lose her, but you can't know how it felt for me to give her back to you. My resolve once faltered. I lost my dream. I had no will and I was lost… and I still wear the scars of that whole mess… but Nick, I feel that spark, that pride I gave up. This is what I want to be, and you are a part of it." Judy sniffed, losing her battle with her emotions for a bit. Nick didn't owe a debt, not after how she felt tonight. Having a badge pinned on her was a proud moment in her life, but this… really helping, really making _someone's_ world a better place…? That was the real dream.

Nick shook a little, unable to talk again for a little while. Judy squeezed him harder and he finally released her, becoming perhaps suddenly self-conscious about holding a bunny in the park at dusk. His cheeks were wet, but he used his sleeve to attend to that. Judy did so as well, both composing themselves.

Nick inhaled deeply and smiled at his partner. "Well then, I shall say this then. Thank you, Judy Hopps. You are a liar and a sharp-witted con-mammal on par with the fox before you, but you are a perfect friend and the best partner in the ZPD." He bowed elegantly as if to make his opinion official. Judy's ears burned.

She smirked and replied, after a second of reflection, "Thank _you_ Nicholas Wilde. You are an insecure, emotional wreck on par with the bunny before you, but I would never give up on you, and I can't save the world without you." She grinned and they both laughed, resuming their walk toward her apartment.

After a brief silence, Nick remarked, "So… Bogo almost completely derailed your plans for this big surprise tonight, what are you gonna do to him when you get to work?" He was immediately very interested in revenge on the chief. Judy knew that he'd want to help with whatever prank she could dream of.

"Oh!" Judy piped sunnily. "He didn't ruin a thing! Your mom and I didn't get back to Zootopia on the train until right about the time you were supposed to get off work. I called Bogo and told him my plan so he'd make you stay until we were ready for you!" She skipped along ahead of her suddenly immobile partner. Nick stood there a moment as she pat-patted along before she heard him loudly cry,

"You got Bogo to do _WHAT_?!" Judy grinned as she skipped faster to prepare to outrun her partner, hearing his footfalls behind her begin at a full run. She looked behind her and cried out in playful fear before breaking into a full run. Foxes. So emotional.

 _And so we close this story arc. The pair has a lot to do if they are going to help this city and they are never going to run out of hurts to heal and wrongs to right. Together, are they strong enough? It's not going to be easy. I have enjoyed so much telling this story, and look forward to writing more. Thank you one and all for your support and kind replies and constructive criticism. This has been a wonderful experience for me. Join me again soon!_

 _Alps Sarsis_

 _Questions? Find me on Telegram as Alps Sarsis or email me at sarsis_


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